Lecorondia had dealt with enough arguments to remain focused on what was going on around her, and Lucy`s new accessory had her worried.

　　Her eyes tracked the firearm as her babysitter talked to Julep and ushered away the cringing journalists. A shame. She`d planned on chatting with them afterwards, making sure any stories they told would paint Kulthurack in a negative light. If the galactic government was watching earth media for any signs of her, planting her defense early couldn`t hurt.

　　Kulthurack coughed, drawing her attention back to him, so she missed where Lucy walked off to. That worried her. If the woman was openly carrying a weapon, that meant Jerry would follow suit. Lecorondia was sure she could manipulate Lucy, but Jerry? No. He would shoot her in the back and kill her baby if given half the chance, the same way the overseer would.

　　That made two potential enemies she needed to look out for. Perhaps once this farce was over, she could sit with Lucy and talk. She`d make it a girl`s night. The barman might still have some of that wine left.

　　"Lecorondia, are you listening to me?" Kulthurack demanded, as his Blitzworm soldier turned away from Julep.

　　The motion was supposed to make her flinch. A display of force to show who was in charge here. She didn`t react, ignoring the mechanical suit as though it were nothing more than scrap. Julep could take it down, she was sure, and if not, well, he`d buy her enough time so that she could kill Kulthurack and escape. It still amazed her that he traveled unarmed. Arrogant Arse.

　　Her stomach rumbled at the thought, but she suppressed it. While it was fun to fantasize about killing him, doing it here wasn`t truly an option. If she got caught on camera, it would be a massive blow to her reputation, bad enough that it would force the galactic government to deal with her. A vision of ending up on a prison planet filled her mind, and she shivered. No. She`d have to bide her time and see what happened.

　　Instead of throwing herself at him, her fangs sinking into his neck, she did her best to smile. "Of course I`m listening. What you`re saying simply doesn`t make sense."

　　"They were a danger." He said it in his perfect monotone.

　　"A pack of journalists? Were you afraid you`d get tongue-tied and forget how to breathe?" She rolled her eyes. "The only danger they possess is what they say, and you`ve pressed upon them the idea that you will use force when none is necessary. Congratulations on making both of us and the Galactic Government look bad."

　　"If I did, it was due to you bringing them here in the first place. You were supposed to remain unknown." He didn`t sneer, but she could tell he wanted to.

　　"And that matters when they write articles and do videos about how the mean alien threatened to kill them?" She couldn`t help the snark that filled her voice. "You need to let the professionals handle this. Find Jeff and do the paperwork. That`s about all you`re good for, isn`t it?"

　　Kulthurack closed all three of his eyes and emitted a low buzzing noise before he stalked off. She didn`t bother to hide her grin as she turned to Julep.

　　"So, what did Lucy want of you?"

　　Julep shrugged. "To see if the journalists needed aid. She left not long after she got them to move along. Pack of idiots."

　　"You`ve worked for me long enough to not sound so surprised about that." Lecorondia laughed.

　　They stood together, and Lecorondia watched the tents. Blitzworms patrolled, and those that hadn`t gone out stayed out of their way. The sheer sight of them filled her with irritation. She`d hoped to get more of them out there, unwitting targets for her darling boy. Erodicilee needed to eat, after all.

　　"Are you sure your plan was wise?" Julep asked.

　　Lecorondia frowned and glanced over. "Are you questioning me?"

　　"No Ma`am. Just curious. Lucy had a weapon when she spoke to me. I think she may have deduced what you did and decided that you aren`t trustworthy."

　　"Hmm." Lecorondia hummed before she nodded. "Possible. Then again, with our new knowledge of Erodicilee, she might have decided she needed to take precautions. I was thinking earlier that I should sit down with her. Talk over our options."

　　She paused as she watched Peter bustle past, head down, as he tapped away at his phone. Her smile grew.

　　"Peter!"

　　He jumped, spinning and shoving his phone into his pocket. "Ma`am. How can I be of assistance?"

　　"Oh, don`t look so scared. You did as I asked, correct?"

　　Peter nodded and threw a salute her way. "I did, ma`am. I gave anyone who wanted to go a piece of cloth, as you ordered. Are you sure cutting up your clothes was okay?"

　　"Of course, anything to get my darling baby back." She sniffed and wiped at her eyes. "He`s so scared. I need to talk to Lucy about his rescue. Do you know where she is?"

　　"Lucy? Back at the pub."

　　"Thank you so much!" Lecorondia waved as she turned. "Julep, will you check on the Blitzworms? Make sure they aren`t up to anything they shouldn`t be."

　　"Of course, ma`am."

　　Lecorondia patted his arm, lingering slightly on the muscle, before she turned and walked away.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

　　***

　　To her delight, the bartender had wine left over.

　　Lucy`s smile was brittle as Lecorondia poured, but she pretended not to notice. If the woman was carrying a gun, pointing out that she appeared on edge wouldn`t do either of them any good. Instead, she laughed and shook her head.

　　"I tell you, I`m not sure how they pick their overseers, but it`s not through votes, I can tell you that," Lecorondia said as she swirled the red liquid around her wineglass.

　　Lucy gave a half-hearted laugh but didn`t respond. That made her nervous. While Lucy had never been exactly chatty, it was like she was trying to shut her out. She`d had that happen, of course. Co-stars who realized she wouldn`t be giving them what they wanted to boost their careers, but that didn`t feel like Lucy.

　　She let her tongue flick out, pretending to drink the wine. What she got instead was fear and exhaustion. That made sense, as calling the last few days trying would be an understatement. Lecorondia took a small sip and put her glass back on the table.

　　"Are you worried about Erodicilee`s new powers?"

　　Lucy`s shoulders slumped, and Lecorondia nodded in sympathy. It was scary, as even she didn`t know exactly what he`d pick up. She hoped it wasn`t anything that would require a full retrofit of the house. Her summer home simply didn`t have the comforts as she was used to.

　　"I can`t say I`m not," Lucy said as she took her own sip of wine. "Plus, we got some distressing news."

　　Lecorondia leaned forward, her tail flicking. "Oh? Are Erick and Kyle alright? I haven`t seen them."

　　"I don`t know. I should find out. No. This was a car accident, one that Erodicilee was involved with."

　　Lecorondia put on her most sympathetic expression while mixing in a touch of fear. She knew a minor car accident wouldn`t hurt him, but Lucy didn`t.

　　"Is my baby okay?" she asked, her voice faltering.

　　"Yes." Lucy nodded but didn`t meet her eye. "He got out. The others&"

　　Lecorondia sipped her wine as she watched Lucy after she trailed off, waiting to see if she`d speak again. When she didn`t, she pressed for details.

　　"What happened? You can tell me."

　　Silence reigned in the pub before Lucy nodded. "Your pet ripped them apart, Lecorondia. The car crashed into a tree, and when another group found them, they were covered in bite wounds and scratch marks. There was a cage in the back filled with smashed-up tranquilizer darts. I think they thought that would be enough to bring him home."

　　"I see."

　　Lecorondia didn`t trust herself to say more, as inwardly she was squealing with glee. Her plan had worked. The hunters would die, and she`d be the hero who saved them from her darling pet by reuniting with him. She could already imagine the box office numbers.

　　"May I ask you something?" Lucy looked up as she spoke, peering into Lecorondia`s eyes. "A serious question."

　　"Of course, Lucy. I`m an open book." Lecorondia smiled, polite and charming, as though she were trying to woo a director.

　　"What will you do if killing Erodicilee becomes our only option?" Lucy`s voice turned icy, and Lecorondia shuddered.

　　She didn`t like that voice, nor that Lucy might side with Kulthurack on this. Her baby, and her reputation, were too important. No. She needed to nip this in the bud immediately. With downcast eyes, she toyed with her glass.

　　"I don`t truly think it will be," she said. "If you must, you must, but..."

　　Lecorondia trailed off, letting herself shake as she squeezed her eye shut, willing tears on command. "He`s not a monster, Lucy. He`s scared and wants to come home. Kulthurack wants to kill him. He thinks it`ll make him look good for his superiors."

　　She spat out the last word like a curse.

　　Lucy let out a shocked gasp, but Lecorondia didn`t peek to see. That would be a rookie error. No, her eyes needed to remain shut for maximum effect until the time was right.

　　"Lecorondia, I—"

　　That was it. She opened her eyes. The act interrupted Lucy, as Lecorondia did her best to stare into her soul. She wanted the woman`s attention on her, and only her. To let her see the tears that welled there and drown in her sorrow.

　　She spoke only when she was sure Lucy had truly focused on her.

　　"I know he`s killed. I wish he hadn`t. But, Lucy, I want to go home with him in my arms. Can you work with me to make it happen?"

　　"Yes," Lucy whispered.

　　"Thank you." Lecorondia smiled as she sat back. "Do you have any ideas on that front?"

　　Lucy shook herself, staring at her wine, before she slowly nodded. "I do. But I don`t think you`ll like it."

　　"You can`t know unless you ask." She smiled, but she couldn`t get her tail to stay still.

　　"I think Arnold was right," Lucy admitted, her voice soft.

　　Lecorondia blinked, surprised, and she took another sip of her wine to cover her lack of things to say. She watched as Lucy toyed with her glass before she continued.

　　"Our best bet is to have you out there. He`s searching for you, and it would make sense for us to go out and grab him. At the farm, we figured he`d have a lot of hunting powers, right? Tracking over combat. So we get him to find you, you reunite, and then everyone is happy."

　　Lucy`s eyes met hers. "And then you`ll take him and go, right?"

　　"I will," Lecorondia said. "My work here was never supposed to last this long. However, are you sure? Who would go along?"

　　"Myself, Jerry, and you," Lucy answered without hesitation.

　　Lecorondia shook her head. "Kulthurack will never allow it. He`ll come, and we`ll have to bring one of his soldiers."

　　"They won`t fit in the van," Lucy remarked, but Lecorondia shrugged.

　　"It will run beside it, then. Either way, he won`t let me go off on my own."

　　"Because he wants to kill you both?"

　　Lecorondia couldn`t hide the way her eyebrows raised. "You worked that out?"

　　"He wasn`t exactly subtle about his dislike for you. Jerry agrees. I don`t want him to kill you." Lucy smiled as she spoke, and Lecorondia smiled back.

　　"Is that why you have a gun now?"

　　She watched as Lucy`s hand flicked beneath the table, but she didn`t draw her weapon. "One of the reasons, yes."

　　"I see." Lecorondia nodded. "I agree. He`ll get rid of me the moment he gets the chance."

　　They sat in silence then, neither touching their wine. Lucy appeared uncomfortable, but Lecorondia was lost in her own thoughts. She couldn`t dismiss Lucy`s plan, but that didn`t mean she had to let herself be led to the slaughter.

　　"I need to know before I agree. You and Jerry, will you side with me if he tries anything?"

　　"Yes." Her answer was direct.

　　"And will Jerry be armed?"

　　"Yes."

　　"Alright. Did you have a spot in mind?" Lecorondia asked as she rose from the table. "I`ll need to inform Julep."

　　Lucy smiled as she withdrew her phone and showed her a photograph, one that Arnold had taken what felt like a lifetime ago to her. "I do. What do you think?"

　　"I think," Lecorondia said as she reached out to shake Lucy`s hand. "That will work just fine."