There was a series of what looked like clubs on this side of the street and as she continued walking, it dawned on her that she had a very big problem.
She had no idea which one of them was the Scintex.
She could understand spoken language but written language was a whole other affair.
For a moment, her whole plan crumbled before her.
She was looking at the glowing signs, trying to figure out which one of the buildings was the right one when she heard a sound, almost like a whisper.
Nia’s head turned.
Off to the side, between two of the buildings, a little bald-headed alien that looked like Dobby was motioning in her direction.
Nia looked behind her.
Was he talking to her?
But there was no one else close enough that he could be trying to speak to.
Nia hesitated.
She didn’t have time to waste.
For all she knew, every second wasted was a second against her.
Every second that passed was one where Ka’Cit could lose his life.
Still, the alien motioned to her again, his round eyes darting down the street.
Nia gripped the blaster and walked toward him.
“Are you talking to me?” she asked.
The alien blinked at her and nodded.
He was shaking. She hadn’t realized before till now that she was closer to him.
“Yes,” he glanced down the street again. “You’re wearing the mask. You’re with the Bone Crusher, aren’t you?”
Nia blinked. She almost denied it before she remembered that’s what she’d heard them call Ka’Cit before.
“I am.”
The alien’s gaze darted down the street again. “I know where he is. He is in trouble. I can take you there, but you have to hurry.”
Nia’s eyes narrowed.
If she hadn’t learned anything so far, she’d learned that trusting random aliens was a bad, bad idea.
Deception was high in this land.
She raised her gun and pointed it at the alien. He paled.
“Why should I trust you?”
His body shook. “I speak the truth.” Reaching behind him, he took his tail in hand. It was thin, like a mouse’s tail and she realized belatedly that he was handing his tail to her.
“You want me to hold…your tail?”
The alien’s nods were sharp jerks because of how hard he was still trembling. “Yes, so you know I am telling the truth.”
When she just blinked at him, he continued. “The Bone Crusher saved me once. I do not wish him any harm.”
Nia studied the alien for a few moments then lowered her weapon.
“Take me to him.”
The alien blinked at her and dropped his tail. With a thin arm, he motioned for her to follow him and she had to squeeze through the gap between the buildings.
He was only about a meter tall and he moved fast, stopping to turn and look her way a few times to ensure she was keeping up.
That was a challenge. With the only light coming from the street, the darkness worked against her and it was difficult to make her way.
To add, behind the buildings had a lot of debris—what looked like old tables and other things—and she had to do quite a bit of climbing and crouching as she made her way.
The little alien kept going.
Every now and then he’d stop on top of something high so she could see his location.
He was incredibly nimble, but he never went too far ahead that she couldn’t see him.
They traveled like that for a few minutes, him leading the way, she behind, before she caught up to him because he’d stopped.
He was standing before a singular door and his long ears quailed at the sides of his head.
“Here,” he whispered before rapping on the door.
Moments passed before it opened and an alien of his same species stood there trembling.
“Hurry,” he said, before going behind her and pushing against her legs for her to enter the room.
It was dark in there and she didn’t know what to expect.
“Aren’t you coming in?” she asked.
His eyes widened a little and he shook his head. “I am not allowed.”
Nia took a deep breath and hesitated.
Could she trust him?
Hell, she’d come this far behind him…
Just then, she heard an undeniable sound. Laughter she’d heard a thousand times.
Gator-guards.
The sound made a unique mix of anger and anxiety churn within her.
“Hurry,” the alien at her feet hissed and Nia nodded, taking a step forward and into the building.
The door closed behind her with a soft click and the other alien stared up at her.
“This way,” he whispered before he began moving forward.
Nia followed behind, her ears perked and her heart thumping in her chest.
The little alien just turned a corner and she was about to follow him when he yelped and took a few steps back in her direction.
Nia froze.
The alien’s eyes went wide at whatever was before him, whatever she could not see, and he began shaking his head.
“What the qrak is wrong with you, fool?”
It was the voice of a gator-guard and she had no idea how many more were around the corner.
Fuck.
The gator-guard couldn’t see her yet. She could probably backtrack…
But the guard took a step forward.
For a second, he didn’t see her. So focused on the little alien at their feet, that split moment made Nia want to slink back into the shadows.
But the guard sensed her presence and his gaze snapped in her direction.
Yellow eyes met hers and widened, his arm immediately moving to the weapon at his side.
Nia didn’t hesitate.
Her body already knew what to do even before her mind could tell her muscles to move.
Her arm raised.
The gun cocked.
Her finger found and pulled the trigger.
The blast left the weapon and found its target so quickly, the gator-guard didn’t know how to react. He clutched his chest, his mouth opening to release a scream that did not come.
His eyes were wide, still staring at her in shock as he fell with a thump to the floor.
Nia’s heart hammered in her chest.
There hadn’t been any sound from the blast.
This
