“Yeah, now I see why you dragged your butt before coming to join us.” Azazel’s huge blond brother, Arakiba, spoke up with his muscular arm around Morgan’s shoulder, tugging her close. He snickered like a teenager.
Morgan nudged him with her elbow and shook her head.
Toni’s face heated. It didn’t take a genius to figure out all these psychics had a general idea of what they’d been doing. She humphed and crossed her arms, giving the ass a glare.
Good thing Azazel was more of an adult. He stood and put his hand over his heart, ignoring Arakiba and focusing on Adapa. “Thank you, brother.” He faced Toni and placed a warm palm on her shoulder. “Lord Baelon captured Antonia Soo-Min Choi of Los Angeles and held her on his ship.” He locked eyes on the group, his gaze sharp and unflinching. “She means everything to me.”
Arakiba nodded in response, rapping his fist over his heart twice before extending his arm with his two fingers pointed ahead in a salute of camaraderie. “I feel ya, bro.”
Toni stood and gave a slight bow in the tradition of her mother’s people. “Please call me Toni.”
“Woo-hoo! You go, girl!” Lisa quipped and clapped. “Glad to see you survived Baelon’s horrible nightmare.”
“Baelon bad… bad… bad!”
A gravelly masculine voice behind her jolted Toni. She twisted around and almost leapt out of her skin.
A giant purple Krystalii sat on the floor with his back against the wall in the corner behind her, legs spread.
Her heart raced until she looked closer. Was he playing with… a slinky?
The creature bounced the toy on his lap and sang a soft ditty under his breath.
“Oh, that’s just As’ni,” Morgan reassured her. “He’s with us.” She waved her finger, gesturing between her and Arakiba.
“I go with Ari… I go with Ari.” As’ni singsonged and ignored the room as he continued to play with the slinky and a penlight he picked up from beside one of his thighs.
“Um, okay.” Toni took one last look at the Krystalii before sitting down. She grasped Azazel’s hand for support.
He resumed his seat as well, giving her a tight squeeze.
Speaking of which. “Did Rerqel have any trouble installing the Krystalii on their planet?” she asked Adapa.
“No,” he answered with a slight smile. “As a matter of fact, he told us that the Dimensional Rift Nucleus the Krystalii used was comparable to the one they had to control the parallel rifts for the species they oversee. Because of that, they had no trouble dismantling the portal, so there’s little chance the Krystalii will find a way out of the parameters the Qorath set them in. He and his people are working on gaining the trust of the Krystalii to guide them on how to govern themselves after the tight grip Lord Baelon had on them.”
“I would hope that the Federation Consortium isn’t going to just take the Xeltrians’ word for what they’re doing.” Abalim intoned with a frown.
Adapa chuckled. “No, of course not. Rerqel and his people, along with the galactic government, have worked out the best way to keep the lines of communication open so they’d remain transparent on what they’re doing. The chancellor promised us an update once they completed negotiations.” He glanced at Asmodel sitting next to Toni’s friend Izzy. “I believe we should move on to the next issue. Asmodel?”
“Thanks. I’d like to introduce my friend, Raxx Jorlen.” Asmodel put his hand on the shoulder of the man sitting at his right. “Without him and his ship, Izzy and I would never have made it off CeluriaVO in one piece.” His gentle smile was for Izzy, who beamed up at him.
“Hey, folks.” Raxx Jorlen clipped a wave at the group. “Gotta say, I’m stoked to be here.” He took a swig from the mug in his other hand.
Toni suspected whatever he had in that mug had a bit of a kick to it. She tilted her head and inspected him.
He looked like a human but wore a strange blend of Earth and alien clothes. His attire, a mix of practicality and style, included a weathered waist-length jacket of hard-to-distinguish material that had seen better days. It sat over a dark, formfitting shirt tucked into durable cargo pants equipped with pockets filled with god knew what.
She stretched to glance at the boots he wore, scuffed and sturdy, that completed the ensemble. Leaning back, she continued to study him.
He might not be classically handsome, but his rugged looks told of a harsh life lived in every line and scar. The piercing intensity of his dark eyes held hidden secrets and sharp intelligence.
If she had to create a tagline to describe him, it’d beGuardians of the GalaxymeetsIndiana Jones. Yeah, she’d cast him as a lead in a film like that in a heartbeat.
“Raxx Jorlen, I have an offer for you from the chancellor.” Adapa leaned in with his fingers clasped in front of him.
“Fantabulous, dude. I’m listening.” The man leaned back and crossed his ankle over his opposite knee, resting the mug on his thigh.
“As part of the agreement to expunge your criminal record and compensate you for the technology known as the Quantum Lattice Resonator, we offer you the guardianship of the planet known as FiPan.”
