Lecorondia`s killing of the smuggler was driven by grief, not malice.

　　After she`d started crying, he`d tried to take advantage by walking over and placing a hand on her shoulder as though they were equals. When her forked tongue flicked out, his scent overwhelmed her. Her mind needed a distraction, and her primal instincts, combined with her sheer disgust at the action, proved overwhelming. Before she knew it, she`d twisted, and her small fangs pierced Oliph`s fat neck.

　　The poison spread quickly as he collapsed on the ground and convulsed, her tears from losing her precious baby dripping onto him. After that? There is no point in wasting a golden opportunity.

　　Julep continued his journey to return to the pickup location as she busied herself with a distraction. She couldn`t leave, not without being able to check for any chance her poor Erodicilee may have survived or, worse, left more evidence behind. With determined steps, she walked into the kitchen as she hauled the smuggler onto the table. Her grandmother`s cooking lessons were an age ago, but she remembered what she needed to do. The question was, would this backwater creature keep what she needed?

　　To her delight, he did.

　　Lecorondia quickly changed into some spare clothes she had—an orange ensemble she`d stolen from the set of a prison break movie that made excellent pajamas. Once properly dressed, she picked up the large carving knife and got to work.

　　Pain filled her as she worked, her mind unable to stop imagining what her darling boy went through. A grim satisfaction mixed in as she remembered Julep exploding the foul creature. How dare it attack her baby boy? He must be so scared. She`d not purchased him for this kind of outdoorsy experience.

　　The knife clipped on bone, and she grimaced as she forced herself to pay attention to her work. Grandmother made sure she understood the value of using everything, a tendency she`d not rid herself of. Besides, such a delicacy deserved to be treasured.

　　She threw herself into the work, leaving no room for emotion. Bowls clattered, plates clinked, and she surprised herself by finding a stiff drink hidden in a cabinet. pathetically cheap wine, however, she would manage somehow.

　　Smells of cooked meat filled the ship by the time Julep returned. When he stepped in from the teleporter bay, she couldn`t help but wrinkle her nose.

　　"Shower before dinner."

　　Her guard`s eyes flicked from the bloodstains to the meat to the empty cockpit. With a nod, he headed to the small shower. It had limited water, but he`d run a long way, and he needed it.

　　Lecorondia plated everything properly before pouring the drinks into the least dirty glasses she could find. As she worked, she forced herself not to stare at the planet through the windows. It would only make her upset.

　　When Julep returned, she did her best to smile and make small talk. He said little, eating quickly before complimenting her on the meal. His tone lacked squeamishness—she approved. What came next would require resolve.

　　"We need to flee."

　　Her monotone words held no signs of the pain that ate at her insides.

　　Julep nodded. "Yes, ma`am. I can fly the ship, but it`s not well stocked. We couldn`t directly return home from here. We`d need a pit stop, perhaps several."

　　"Perhaps. The small space station that`s nearby. What`s it called?"

　　"Gaxizon, Ma`am."

　　"Thank you," she said as she allowed a small smile. "Gaxizon. They`d have what we need. A quick sob story to whatever baby faced general they put in charge should get us a better ship and supplies."

　　Lecorondia watched him, thinking. No arguments. No mention of danger to discourage her. She might have to give him a raise.

　　"That means we`ll need to keep our stories straight. This beast, Oliph, kidnapped me. You came to my rescue."

　　"How?" Julep asked.

　　She bit her lip, her mind spinning. "You found me on the planet he dragged me to. He wanted to reenact the plot of Kitchen Love; that`s why the poster`s destroyed."

　　"And my ship?" Julep paused, frowning. "Simple. Destroyed. I used the ship`s self-destruct to not leave anything for the natives to stumble upon."

　　"Good. yes. You fought and overpowered him, then destroyed his body with the anti-matter blaster. Fake tears and this bloodstained outfit will do. Leave any talking to me."

　　"Yes, Ma`am."

　　Lecorondia smiled weakly, even as her eyes filled with tears. "No mention of my darling, of course."

　　"What about the photos, ma`am?" Julep asked, stacking the plates.

　　"Photos?"

　　A shiver ran through her as she remembered exactly what he meant. The first native had taken photos—photos that would show her dressed differently alongside Erodicilee. She cursed, then cursed again for good measure. That changed things. Her story would crumble if those came to light, but perhaps she could convince them not to check?

　　No one important would be there. It shouldn`t be hard. It wouldn`t be the first occasion she`d made someone`s evening to get her way. Her other option was to send Julep to hunt that native. That came with other, bigger risks.

　　Her gaze fell onto the bits of blood left over from dinner as she pictured the leg Julep had brought back. Perhaps she could spin this.

　　"Ok. I`ll bloody up my original outfit, and we can still play the super fan angle." Her mind raced as she rushed, once more stamping down her emotions. "They showed us together, and I would have looked scared. This might still work. Provided no one digs too deep, we`ll be fine."This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

　　"As you say, ma`am."

　　Lecorondia nodded. "I do. Now, I`m off to bed. Set us a course for Gaxizon, and try to get some sleep. We`ll need to be our best when we arrive. After all, we have quite the show to put on."

　　***

　　By the time they reached Gaxizon, Lecorondia was sick of the small ship.

　　Almost as soon as the doors opened, she pushed her way onto the dock and straight into the arms of the waiting security. Both were the same thin, pink-skinned, tubular creatures with too many eyes and a set of power armor keeping them contained. Blizworms were a common security troop, stupid and easily controlled. They were once parasites until the galactic government discovered their ability to bind with technology as easily as an organic host. Neither so much as twitched at her appearance, though they were the only ones.

　　As she got used to the bare white walls that filled every space station, along with the stale, filtered air, she heard the noise start.

　　Shouts and whispers came from the variety of aliens that shuffled around. Most were workers, but she noticed visitors and residents who`d arrived to gawk at the new arrival. Once Julep joined her, she plastered on a smile and waved.

　　"Hey everyone."

　　"LECORONDIA!" a young female reptilian screamed, looking like she might faint.

　　That act opened the floodgates. With more shouts and cries, the crowd surged forward. The security troops turned and dealt with the sudden crowd. Inwardly, Lecorondia smirked as she followed Julep through the security station, avoiding the required paperwork. The noise only increased, and she briefly spent some time giving signatures with a pen she`d snagged.

　　"Why are you here?"

　　"Are you really starring in the new Garbage Gladiator film?"

　　"My sister loves you! Can you visit her in the medbay?"

　　She smiled and gave general platitudes to the crowd that seemed to grow every minute. The single teleporter was working overtime to bring more people, and the air filters made a horrendous chugging noise.

　　A shot sounded out from one of the security troops, whose digitized voice shouted for the crowd to stand down. No one listened, and a few forced Julep to physically intervene. Lecorondia snagged the next teleport out, Julep closing the glass tube from the people banging on it.

　　"Name and destination," the electronic voice buzzed.

　　"Lecorondia. The general`s office, direct route."

　　A crackle accompanied the statement this time as fists continued thumping against the doors. "Do you have an appointment?"

　　"No, I`d like to make a report that I`m in danger."

　　"Scanning."

　　While she waited, Lecorondia smiled and waved at her fans, hoping the damn thing would work before they burst through the doors. She wished Erodicilee was here; at least she`d have something to cuddle to reduce the stress.

　　"Threat detected. Emergency teleporting in 3. 2. 1&"

　　The zap sounded off, and she coughed as she stepped out of the teleporter. Her tail flicked as she studied the office, which was plainly not the general`s. This place was fancier, with dark blue walls and the proper cycled air that smelled like flowers. Julep moved beside her, his hand going for the anti-matter blaster on his arm.

　　Lecorondia`s first thought was that some other local VIP had kidnapped her. Diverted her teleport for some private time with the famous movie star. Then her eyes caught the view from the window and the space station that floated nearby.

　　Julep jumped in front of her as the door crashed open and armed soldiers came in. These were no Blizworms, but blue-skinned creatures with three massive, multi-fractal eyes on their faces. They wore sleek armor and carried weapons designed to stun.

　　Behind them strode a face she recognized, and she forced a smile on her face.

　　"Overseer Kulthurack."

　　He slowly turned towards her, not twitching a single facial muscle. Those bug-like eyes studied her.

　　"You are Lecorondia. Actress. Troublemaker." His voice held a subtle buzz to it, but otherwise the complete calm told her nothing.

　　A laugh escaped her. "Troublemaker? That`s a little harsh. My fans getting rowdy on the docks can hardly be blamed on me, Overseer."

　　"No. Not that."

　　She stepped back as his security swarmed into the room, making a path for him to get to his desk. When he sat, they moved to stand behind him, their weapons trained on Julep.

　　"I speak of your other records. Illegal sightseeing. Drug-fueled parties. Cannibalism."

　　"Never have I eaten one of my own kind!" Lecorondia snapped. "Never. That is a baseless rumor! A lie! How dare you!"

　　Judging by his blank expression, her emotional outburst hadn`t phased him. "And the others?"

　　With effort, she reined herself back in. "I apologize for my outburst. It`s been a rough time recently. However, the authorities unanimously dropped those charges."

　　"A bad time? Please. Tell."

　　He didn`t offer her a chair, and she noticed the power play. Overseer Kulthurack was a step below those in the Galactic Government. This made him an important bureaucrat, though an exceptionally hands on one. It was her bad luck that he was here.

　　Lecorondia nodded and launched into her performance. She spoke of the kidnapping, the horror, and the worry. How she`d witnessed Julep bravely rescue her from the monstrous kidnapping. Tears fell, and she choked on her words several times. She spared no possible emotional beat, even finishing by letting herself collapse into Julep`s arms as though unable to handle the events she described.

　　Kulthurack`s face never changed. When she finished, he simply reached into a drawer and pulled out a tablet. Then, still not breaking eye contact, he flipped through it.

　　"And what is this?"

　　The picture on the screen showed her, the smuggler, Julep, and, of course, an enraged Erodicilee. She cursed.

　　"I can explain—"

　　"—you left a class three predator on a class one world." He cut her off. "Please. Explain."

　　"I didn`t leave him there," she snapped, any pretense at politeness vanishing.

　　"How so?"

　　"He`s dead. Eaten by a native beast of that infernal place. I have the leg if you don`t believe me."

　　The simple act of saying those words made her stomach fill with bile. Her eyes dropped to the floor, and she shook. Even the overseer`s sigh couldn`t get her attention back.

　　"Please stop with the lies and the theatrics. It does neither of us any good."

　　That, however, grabbed it nicely.

　　"Excuse me?" A bitter anger filled her as she stared at his impassive face.

　　In response, he flicked a long blue finger across the screen, and a new image filled the screen. Erodicilee, dripping wet and terrified, had all four limbs visible as he ran away from something.

　　Joy, fear, and anger demanded her attention as she stared at the image. It wouldn`t be fake; the Overseer wouldn`t bother with such tricks. That meant her darling, her baby, lived! She met Kulthurack`s eyes the best she could.

　　"What do I have to do to get him back?"

　　Another sigh left Kulthurack`s mouth. "If it were up to me, I would deal with this more directly. However, this nation`s government has gotten hold of these photos, and thus, my superiors believe that with your skills, there is an alternate way."

　　Kulthurack gaze met hers, and this time she swore she spotted the annoyance in his eyes.

　　"So I must ask. Are you ready to talk with the Galactic Council about your new career?"