True to his word Britt never left me. Some people might have found it odd, or overwhelming but we had lived together in smaller spaces for longer periods of time. We didn't have anything to hide from each other. Well, except the obvious. Not sure if he had figured out I was an energy bender or not.

I still haven't asked him about his telepathic abilities either. It just doesn't seem important at the moment.

What is important is the fact Ufrik is MIA at the moment. I haven't heard or seen him in over three days. It makes no sense.

I am still weak, not entirely recovered from my time spent coma toast. However, I am improving quickly. The doctor is impressed. She hadn't expected me to be so strong, I guess.

However, from previous experiences getting injured and being bedridden, my recovery does seem remarkably fast. Today is day four, and I almost have my full strength back. Now, if I could just get my stamina back, I might be able to figure out how to leave this tin can.

After being grounded for so long, I had begun to feel planet deprivation recently. If I am not careful, I could get Terra-Fever. Aching to be on the ground again so bad that I start to hallucinate. Unfortunately, it happens more than most people know. Some species are more prone to it than others.

This is the first time I had ever felt it. We went through extensive testing and training in the Armada Academy. I had been in the top five of my class every time. I don't get ground sick.

If I am brutally honest, it's not that I just want to be on the ground again, though. What I really want is to go back to that forsaken planet of death. What in the blazes is up with that?

"Fresh leaves from Makaruga. I know it's your favourite." Britt shoves a warm metal cup into my hands, breaking me away from my self-analysis.

"It's the only tea I will drink, you mean." I can't help the snort. Britt is a man of few words, but when he does speak, he always manages to twist whatever it is into a positive.

Doc had moved me to a small room just down the hall. One of several apparently reserved for recovering patients. I had a couple of neighbours, but everyone kept to themselves. So far.

Britt had let himself in and, after pushing the tea into my hands, sat down in my only chair beside my little table. He had spent every night so far sleeping on the floor beside me. At least he'd taken the blanket I'd given him.

We haven't discussed my kicking him out of the Compounds. Somehow it had just been accepted as done and over with. Yet guilt still ate at me.

I had asked him how he got here, though.

It turned out when Armada did their last sweep of Earth, they had found him. He hadn't gone far from the Compounds. Made sense. Smart man.

People had even been smuggling him food. It made me feel even shittier, but he assured me that everyone had been watching me too closely and had I been the one to help, it could have caused an enormous uproar. He felt I had, had no options.

It made me question the rules, though. Couldn't we have just quarantined him? He hadn't been the only one to be thrown out either. Had anyone else survived? Is their more unjustified death on my hands?

"Stop it. Drink the damn tea and think of something green, Zea!"

How did he know that I am stewing? He always could read my face like a map to my soul. Everyone else either feared me or hated me, but right from the start, he'd seen through it all. And somehow, because I usually am not that insightful unless I open my Eye, I had been able to read him too.

Anyway, after he had been rescued, he had gone back with Armada to HQ. However, when he had heard, I had gone missing and my ship destroyed, he had volunteered to recover what he could from my ship. They had managed to salvage the main computer and Syndicate with it. She was able to replay the security footage showing my capture.

Britt had been able to get a clear view of the ship that had taken me away thanks to Syndicate tracking me through my communicator. Human satellites still orbited the planet and are apparently more durable than their makers.

It was lucky. All communication logs had been wiped. He had searched all the outer, less civilized stations and planets for any record of the ship docking. Syndicate had made it relatively easy to do and had an answer for him in just minutes.

Did I mention I love that A.I.?

Britt had been just two steps behind me the whole time. Thank the stars too. It had saved his life. He hadn't been blown up with everyone else on the space station when I went nuclear. Yet, if Ufrik hadn't brought me here, he probably would have lost me after the station exploded.

He had had no way of knowing where I had gone after that. Probably the only reason he hadn't killed Ufrik on the spot was that he'd brought me to a doctor who worked for Armada.

I can't help but be stunned that after everything, how I had just left him to follow orders, he still came for me. I don't deserve that kind of loyalty, or friendship. I feel Ufrik should have left me to meet oblivion with the rest of the space station. The destruction I caused haunts me.

At night when I try to sleep, the image of the Dukri's prone body on the floor, Ufrik's last memory of her as she had fallen from her gel pad prison, plays on repeat in my mind. She was so young. I stole her life. How could I ever pay for my mistake? I have so much to atone for. It's overwhelming.

"Zea!"

Right. I lift the hot cup to my lips and take a tentative sip. Drinking the damn tea. I have to stop myself from snickering. Britt gets so bossy when he's protecting someone, even if it's from themselves.

Suddenly my door chimes. I hit the communicator button on the wall.

"Who is it?"

"It's me."

Well, I'll be a black hole.

"Please, grace us with your presence, Commander."

Britt gives me a funny look I don't quite get. Is he pissed that I am mocking Ufrik, or was he just learning Ufrik might be more than just a criminal?

The door slides open and Ufrik wastes no time striding in. His large shoulders brush the doorway on his way inside, his face looking very unhappy. Out of some strange habit, or maybe familiarity, I start to speak telepathically to him.

"What crawled up your ass? You're the one-" What the fuck? "Aaggh, what the hell is that!" I instantly stop speaking telepathically and scream my question as pain lances through my head.

"You didn't warn her?" Ufrik looks to Britt like he is an imbecile.

"Didn't come up." Britt's face is a stone. The man gives nothing away.

"Seriously? Am I the only person you speak with telepathically? Why the hell wouldn't you use it on missions with Britt? Or others on your team that can hear you?"

Ufrik glares at me. Hands-on his hips, chest puffed out, gold eyes on fire and his mean on. I have seen scarier. But not many.

I feel like a child being reprimanded for something. He makes it sound like my choices have been stupid. Does he already forget what I do if I lose control?

Why is he so pissed anyways? He isn't the one who just got punched in the brainwaves. Or at least that is the best way I can describe it. It hurts almost as much as being boot-kicked in the face. It is all I can do not to roll on the floor. As it is, I am pretty sure I just taught the walls in this room a new vocabulary. Somehow I find the energy to reply to Ufrik anyway.

"Fuck you too, sunshine!"

I would glare back, but I am too busy pinching the bridge of my nose and squinting back tears. I steal a glance, though. His eyes soften slightly as he continues to stare at me while I suffer through the aftershock of the sudden pain.

"Fucking mother of stars!" Ufrik throws his hands up, exasperated.

Staring at the ceiling, he shakes off his agitation. I can't be sure, but it sounds like he mutters "fuck it" as he turns to grab a disposable towel from my small storage compartment over my bunk. He bends down in front of me and starts wiping up the floor. I had spilled my favourite tea, dropping the cup when whatever the hell that had caused the pain had hit me.

I look at Britt. He seems to be in deep thought, looking at Ufrik but not seeing him. I raise a questioning eyebrow at him. He gives the slightest shake of his head, almost indiscernible. Whatever it is, we'll talk later. If it were important, he'd have signalled me.

"Look, sorry for being an ass. I have a lot on my mind." Ufrik stands, throwing the towel into the recycle shoot.

Running a hand through his messy hair, he turns around and examines the space above my door. "I am sure I don't need to tell you not to use your telepathic abilities again. Yet, for the record, don't. The entire ship is rigged with a smart system that releases an energy wave at just the right frequency when active telepathic skills are detected. The only place safe to use telepathy is the med bay. For obvious patient safety reasons, any kind of security measure that can inflict harm isn't allowed."

"And you didn't think to tell me this three days ago? And what about the first day you heard me from the med bay?"

"I was... Shit ya. I should have. I was actually outside the ship at the time, checking on something for Astro, the ship's engineer. Otherwise, I never would have heard you. Honestly, I was so relieved you finally woke up that I hadn't been thinking clearly."

"I told him you would wake. Not sure why he didn't believe me." Britt sounds offended, which surprises me. Why does he care if Ufrik believed him or not?

Britt could also just be genuinely disgusted with Ufrik's mistrust or lack of faith in me. Britt had figured it was obvious. I would wake. He never doubted me for a moment. Yet fear had been clouding Ufrik's rationale.

Again why was I so important to Ufrik?

"Yes. You were right. I wish you had passed on my message, though." Ufrik distractedly rubs at his chin, looking deep in thought, brow furrowing.

"Wasn't sure if you could be trusted. If it had come up, I would have, though."

"So you wait until it's too late?" Ufrik turns around to face us and waves a hand in my direction with a look of utter disbelief.

"Up until the day I left the compounds, I had no clue she had telepathic abilities. How was I to know she would use them as soon as she saw you!" Britt's eyes start to glitter dangerously.

Aaggh fuck. Britt is pissed. I have unintentionally hurt him. He probably chose not to pass the message on just so he could see what would happen. Damnnit!

"You did not indicate that her abilities were a surprise to you."

"Surprise, no. Having to learn about it from a stranger who barely knows her, yes."

"Look, Britt-"

"Now isn't the time, Zea." Oh ya. He's pissed. Damn, he's good at hiding things.

I swallow the hard lump that has formed in my throat. Our eyes clash, his dark stormy brown with flecks of green fire, mine warm pools of gold. How had he hidden it for so long? I hadn't sensed any hostility from him at all these past few days until now. My heart starts to ache.

Ufrik shoots me a concerned look. The realization that he has unknowingly broken my confidence and maybe cost me my best friend crosses his face.

"Ufrik has something to tell us. That is why he came in here wound up tighter than the strings on a virgin Zukrog's panty girdle on her wedding day." Britt's face is still void of emotions, yet this is one of the longest sentences I have heard him say in days.

Ufrik swallows hard, jaw set, muscles flexing as his teeth ground silently while he stares hard at Britt. If they could have shot energy blasts at each other with their eyes, they'd both be dead.

They are having a bloody silent pissing match. If I weren't just recovering from some severe pain in my head, I probably would be laughing out loud at how ridiculous they are being. But all I can do is cough. Getting their attention, I raise a questioning eyebrow at them.

"I won't be able to get you out of here as I had hoped, Zea. It turns out there really is no escaping Armada. Whether you're a prisoner or an employee."

Britt breaks his stony expression to release a sarcastic snort.

"You thought you could get her away from Armada?" He chuckles out loud now. "First, why? Second, did you ask her if that's what she wanted?"

I have to look questioningly at Ufrik, my brow furrowing as I examine his face. I didn't get why I needed to escape Armada. After being in Ufrik's head, feeling his emotions, I think I have a pretty good grasp of his personality and morals. I must be missing something.

Britt does have a good point, though. The man should have asked me. Why the hell does he get to start making life-altering decisions for me?

"Like he said. Why?" I look at him square in the eye and dare him to lie to me.

"I can't explain it all here. It would take too long. And anyone could be listening." To accentuate his point, he looks around the room, eyes resting on all the places cameras could be, then stopping at the intercom. It literally could be on right now, and we wouldn't know.

He turns back to me. His eyes hold mine. I see a glimpse of a silent plea. He wants me to trust him. Can I? Suddenly, having been in Ufrik's mind, feeling his feelings holds a lot more significance. He knew he would need me to trust him, and after our history together, that wouldn't have been likely before. Britt isn't going to like this.

"So you want her to escape Armada, but you can't tell her why?" Britt's voice is stern. Fucking males. However, if I were Britt, I would feel the same. How do I salvage this? Shit!

"OK. OK. So it's a bloody fucking riddle. But good news, he can't figure out how to get me away from Armada, so I won't be escaping anywhere. He feels it's important I get away from my current employer for some reason, or he wouldn't be so upset that he can't do it." I looked pointedly at Britt, trying to force him to see the obvious. Once he got done being pissed off, he would be able to acknowledge this. However, he wouldn't take his cold stare off Ufrik right now. Whatever.

"So I say we shelf this conversation until either Ufrik can provide more information, or I find it out myself. On an unrelated note, what the fuck are you Commander of?"

Ufrik has the decency to look ashamed. He clears his throat, and I hear him curse under his breath.

"Shit. So much of this needs to be explained in a secure location." He runs a hand through his hair. He paces the small space in my room. His agitation filling it like a bad smell.

"You can't explain that either?" Britt doesn't sound surprised but is very disgusted. "Figures."

Britt snorts loudly, crossing his arms over his chest, kicking his legs out and crossing his ankles. He leans back and drills holes into Ufrik with a look I have never seen on him before. He hates Ufrik. I am not sure what to think about this. Fuck it. Their issues are theirs. Not my problem.

"Look, long story short, I am who I need to be when I need to be." Ufrik doesn't look at Britt. Not caring what he thinks but focuses on me. His eyes promise he will tell me more as soon as he can.

"However, before I was rudely interrupted," Ufrik turns and glares at Britt, whose eyes narrow in return, "I was trying to tell you that Armada is on its way here to get you. Once they get the report from the doctor saying your good go, you will be completing our original mission."

The air suddenly gets thin. I feel the anxiety from Ufrik like I am swimming in it. In return, Britt's hostility rises about one hundred at fifty percent. Ufrik starts pacing again. He no longer meets my eyes.

"I can't stay, Zea. They know I was the one who got you mixed up in the Game. I can't afford to go to prison. Not when we are so close."

What!? NO! Every internal alarm goes off in my body. Fuck No.

I know my eyes must have said it all. Ufrik's eyes go wide as he finally looks at me. My chest heaving, nostrils flaring, eyes burning and a desire to kill.

"You promised answers, Ufrik." My voice sounds far away, quiet, deadly. It holds a genuine warning. I had been willing to be patient, but if he leaves, how will I ever find him. He owes me.

I see Britt's muscles stiffen out of the corner of my eye. He is ready for anything. Ufrik looks uncertain. He should be.

"I promise I will find you. You will know everything. I need you to know everything. I swear it on my parent's graves." He looks sincere. But by the stars, I want his blood. He owes me answers. Fuck him!

"You sold me out! You are a liar, a thief and a damn good scam artist Ufrik. But if you have answers, I will have them. Now!"

Have I mentioned that when I lose my temper, I tend to do stupid shit?

"Zea. Don't-"

I hear Britt yell, "NO." He knows me too well. But it is too late. Without thinking, I open my Eye and slam all my telepathic power into Ufrik. I fully intended to rip through his mind and find whatever I wanted. If I made him into a drooling brain fried handicap in the process, so be it.

A very impulsive and stupid move on my part. I need to learn to control my anger better. Somewhere inside my brain, I know I don't want to hurt Ufrik so maybe what's happening right now is for the best.

I am somehow thinking this as my brain melts inside my skull. My probe never even made it to Ufrik. There's a piercing pain consuming me. It screams through my skull at a glass-shattering frequency. I feel something warm trickle from my ears. The pain is so intense my vision fills with bright white spots, blinding me. I hear myself scream as I fall to the floor, curling into a ball.

The pain keeps increasing. My head is going to explode at this rate. I see a shadow move through my white spots, and right before I blackout, my vision clears to see Britt. He stands, taking one step forward and punches Ufrik so hard. He crumbles to the floor like a limp noodle.

It happens faster than a blink. At this moment, my Zukrog is all speed and pure animal, a snarl on his lips and all. Then my world goes dark.

***

When I wake, I am back in the med bay. I hate this place. The doc looks nervous. She keeps glancing to her right. Following her eyes, I soon find myself staring at Britt. His face stony and unreadable. I have no idea what he is thinking. My only friend. Man, I have fucked shit up.

My mouth feels like it is stuffed with cotton, and my eyes puffy like I have been crying. I think I am heavily drugged. Damn.

The doc adjusts my arm, double-checking my IV drip. She doesn't greet me or acknowledge me. Something is off. She is scared, maybe. She silently turns my head towards her. She lifts one eyelid at a time, waving her awful light in my face. Then taking some sort of scanner, she runs it over each temple and my frontal lobe. Deciding that her examination is done, she turns away from me and speaks quietly.

"You heal fast. Besides a severe headache for the next day or two, you should be fine. I will let Armada know you will be ready in two days to leave." And with that, she leaves the med bay. What the?

Britt isn't that scary. Something is wrong. I turn to him. He hasn't moved. I am not sure he's even blinked. Then I suddenly feel something tingle in my head. It is fuzzy but gentle. And then I hear him. A gasp leaves my mouth before I even registered Britt is communicating telepathically with me.

"We have a lot to discuss, my Krog Warrior Princess." His eyes softened ever so slightly as he says the last part.

What the stars is he talking about? Then he smiles his famous Britt smile. The one that makes my insides feel weird. But a good weird. Maybe he doesn't hate me after all. But first.

"Krog Warrior Princess?"