Lunai practically jumped out of the ship when they docked on planet Ammini. It had only been a week since she took to the stars with Entropi, but spirits, she missed the feeling of solid ground beneath her roots. Win-gel bodies were not made for intensive space travel, which was all Entropi seemed to do. Add in the near-death experience, and Lunai could have fallen to her knees and kissed the ground.

  Dr. Crux stood at the gate, ready to receive the chip they had managed to secure. In his arms was the potted plant Lunai left behind on Entropi’s personal ship. She ran towards him and carefully lifted her precious friend back into her embrace. If her father could have seen her now, he’d think she had gone mad.

  “Thanks for bringing this here,” she said. “I was worried it would wilt away on Entropi’s ship.”

  “My plants are designed for resilience.”

  A hint of pride made its way into Dr. Crux’s monotonous tone. Lunai wasn’t sure if he was proud of the plants’ inception or her newfound appreciation for them. She had been away from Ya’ar for four years at this point, and the dogmatic “will” of the spirits was loosening its hold on her. She wasn’t convinced of the narrow view of life her father’s sermons taught.

  I think the spirits would like you. Maybe I’ll try talking to them when I’m back on Ya’ar. If I got approval to bring you there, maybe you could help with the rot.

  Her touching reunion with the fern was interrupted by Entropi’s quiet approach from behind. She practically barreled past Lunai to slap the box with the chip into Dr. Crux’s hand. His rocky fingers closed in on the precious data as he held it to his nonexistent eyes.

  “This is an excellent find. I’ll have to run initial diagnostics to confirm there’s no viruses included, however.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” Entropi flexed her wrist in his direction. “I’m gonna talk to Mtsi while you deal with that.”

  Dr. Crux put a hand up to stop her before she walked away. “Agent Bliss is currently off-world.”

  Lunai perked up. Was Bliss ungrounded already? Or was there an emergency only he could handle? Most importantly, if he was off-world, where was Cromble?!

  “Oh. He didn’t tell me.” Her right eye started to twitch as her roots twirled tightly around the plant’s pot with fervor. “I assume Cromble is with him. What planet is it? Why is he there?”

  “He’s on Novrun for a punitive vacation sponsored by the ministry. I believe he took both felines with him.”

  Lunai put on the most forced smile she could muster at Dr. Crux’s explanation. He dared to cock his head at her, as if he didn’t understand the gravity of the situation.

  Believe? You believe he took both of them?

  Lunai could take a lot of bullshit. She could do the scutt work of intern year. She could masterfully dance around the eggshell personality that was Bliss. Last-minute overtime shifts and mission changes? No problem for Lunai. Last minute Cromble changes? The roots would become claws. Shuffling the plant under her left arm, she brought her wrist up and frantically moved to her personal messages.

  [Lunai]: Hi Bliss! Just wanted to check in! We just got back from Nula’s base and Dr. Crux said you’re on Novrun with Cromble. You didn’t tell me anything about that! Please send a pic now before I FREAK OUT.

  [Bliss]: Shit, I’m sorry. I didn’t expect you to be back so soon, but I should’ve told you anyway. Image attached.

  That was the fastest response Lunai had ever gotten from Bliss on her CellPulse. At least he recognized his error. She clicked on the attached image and saw Cromble curled up on a fancy bed. Her roots relaxed at the adorable sight, but she could tell that Entropi was still unsatisfied. She had walked back to face their CEO, but seemed to be waiting for Lunai to finish her feline panic before taking Dr. Crux’s attention again.

  “He just texted you?” She asked Lunai, who nodded in response. Entropi let a huff of air out of her mouth and placed her hand on the front of her helmet as if trying to face-palm. She turned back to Dr. Crux, regaining some of her composure. “How long do you think the extraction will take?”

  “If it isn’t a virus, it should take about five days. Two for the safety test and three for actual data extraction.”

  Entropi gave him a big smile. Not quite as scary as Lunai’s was, but getting there. It was more devious than maniacal, which wasn’t particularly reassuring. “And how long will Mtsi be on Novrun?”

  Dr. Crux froze in place. The man who barely showed emotion looked like he was starting to sweat. He probably would have if it had been possible. “Five more days…”

  “Well, isn’t that just perfect!” She walked over and grabbed Lunai’s shoulders with an enthusiastic squeeze. “Looks like we have just enough time to enjoy the Novrun sun with him.”

  “W-We?” Lunai stuttered.

  “Of course! It’s a family vacation. Cromble is your family, isn’t she?”

  I do want to see her. Is my love for Cromble stronger than my loyalty to Bliss? Uh, obviously. Sorry, Bliss! I know you’d understand.

  “I guess that sounds nice. I’ve never been to Novrun before.”

  “Then it’s settled.” Entropi turned her head to see Argalax and Pammy departing the ship, as well as the other ships from the armada settling in the dock. “Other intern, ever been to Novrun?”

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  Argalax pointed to himself in disbelief. Entropi rolled her eyes and gave a stern nod.

  “Uh…No I haven’t.”

  “Then you’re coming too. And where’s the fish guy? Might as well make it party!”

  Lunai watched in utter shock as Entropi found Kelang in the departing armada crowd and grabbed him by the arm. The woman had truly gone mad, but Kelang looked as happy as ever to be dragged away by the GSA’s strongest. Lunai watched as Entropi whispered something to him, causing him to jump with joy in response.

  Oh, spirits. Entropi, you didn’t. Inviting Kelang? Clearly you’re not in the right mental state for my reconciliation dinner plans!

  “Alright Crux, I expect a transport pod for the four of us to be ready by the hour. Send us to Mtsi’s exact location, please.”

  “Exact location? Entropi, he’s working.”

  She leaned forward and clasped her hands behind her back. “Aww, but I just want to give my precious ward some moral support. We have so much we need to talk about!”

  Dr. Crux put his hand to the bridge of his nose, actually letting out a slight groan. “You are impossible. I will only send you near his current location.”

  “But-“

  “Entropi!” he shouted with the stern frustration of a parent who had been kept up all night by a shrieking toddler. “This is not negotiable. I will not ju-just spawn you right on top of his photoshoot.”

  “A photoshoot?” Entropi tried to cup her chin, hitting her helmet instead. She appeared to just go with it as she tilted her head. “I can’t wait to see which degenerate is shooting it this time.”

  Lunai let the next hour pass in complete silence. She still had her plant nestled in her arms, using it to soothe her mind as the worst surprise visit in history got closer and closer. Argalax seemed to share in her discomfort, sitting next to her without making a sound. Of course, Kelang could not shut up, going on about how excited he was to spend the day with Entropi and Bliss.

  As the imaginary clock in her head reached zero, Entropi moved to check on the transport pod sitting in front of them. The screen lit up with a destination locked in its settings: Novrun-Elshire Beach.

  The beach? Oh, fuck no. Why, spirits?! Why are you doing this to me?!

  Lunai knew what a photoshoot on the beach meant. Entropi did as well, judging by the way her fists curled up at the sight of the destination description. This was going to be so horribly awkward. Seeing her senior posing in a swimsuit was not how she wanted to start the next month of her internship.

  For better or worse, they all huddled into the transport pod. It was anyone’s guess what exact building they would end up teleporting into. The GSA had satellite buildings on every planet they were in communication with, but what buildings were right next to the beach? Were they about to walk out of a boardwalk tchotchke stand?

  The real answer was much more devious than Lunai could have imagined from Dr. Crux. They exited the pod right onto the boardwalk itself, with no building or shack to hide their appearance at all. The flash of light from the machine already attracted a crowd, and the group was met by curious onlookers turning to excited fans once Entropi came into view.

  They were surrounded from all sides, but Entropi didn’t give the crowd a moment of her time. She immediately surrounded herself and the interns in a box of energy that carried them up and away from the adoring fans.

  Lunai could vaguely see the ground below through the black energy, spotting what looked like a setup with cameras and lighting. Security guards surrounded the small refuge on the beach and kept any prying eyes away. They surged towards the sandy spot and landed right next to a startled security guard.

  There was a bit of shouting before the box dropped to reveal Entropi. Any weapons raised were immediately withdrawn, and the guards simply bowed to her and resumed their perimeter around the area. The photographer was right in front of them, pointing the camera at Bliss, who was sitting on a blanket wearing nothing but a swimsuit, just as Lunai expected. Luckily, he was watching the ocean and hadn’t noticed them yet, giving Lunai the chance to turn away.

  Argalax followed suit and they both stood there as the catastrophe behind them unfolded. Lunai heard Bliss gasp and the sound of a blanket being ruffled.

  “What the fuck is this?”

  The sound of the camera snapping stopped. The photographer took a step back, joining Lunai and Argalax in their own little corner of hell.

  “We’re waiting on some data.” Entropi talked as if she wasn’t acting like a lunatic. “I decided we’d join you on your little vacation. The interns haven’t had the chance to see the beautiful beaches of Novrun!”

  “Entropi. Get out of here. Now.”

  The venom in his voice was palpable, even as it came from behind. Lunai was just thankful that Bliss seemed to be ignoring her. All she wanted to do was see Cromble, something that would be perfectly reasonable to Bliss, but now she had to stand there and pretend she didn’t just see him half naked. She glanced over at Kelang, who was, unsurprisingly, still facing the resident hero.

  “I thought I told you to stop doing these shoots. You’re half-human and barely an adult; it’s predatory.”

  The photographer looked at Lunai and grimaced in shared horror. Lunai would’ve welcomed death in that moment. Entropi certainly seemed to be asking for it.

  “Criophex, I’m so sorry. We’ll have to pick this up another time.”

  The photographer turned around again. “Not a problem, Bliss. We got some good shots. It’ll do for our next volume.”

  “Nope. Gimme that.”

  Lunai peeked over her shoulder to see Entropi holding her hand out towards the photographer. She was actually demanding the camera.

  “Sorry miss…I am not authorized to give equipment away.”

  Bliss stepped in between them, giving the photographer an opportunity to start packing up with his crew. Entropi tried to follow, but Bliss grabbed the seaside air beside him and tore the space between them open. The rip in space started to expand upward in chaotic spikes.

  The camera crew managed to get everything sorted in their transport ship. They hightailed it off the beach in record speed. If Entropi had tried to follow, it would have been unlawful pursuit.

  Please let it be. Please let it be!

  Entropi stood there with her arms crossed. It appeared that Bliss had won that round. He now turned his attention to the three interns, one much more comfortable than the rest.

  “You two can turn around. And you, stop staring!”

  Every intern rotated 180 degrees, swapping out who was looking at Bliss and Entropi. He was now wearing a robe over the swimsuit, a much less awkward sight than before.

  “Did she drag you two here?”

  Lunai decided to take the fall for her fellow interns. It didn’t feel right to just pin everything on Entropi when they could’ve said no at any point. She at least had the Cromble defense to soften any potential anger.

  “Sort of. I did want to visit, but just to meet you at the hotel so I could see Cromble. Things got a bit out of hand.”

  “Sure, that’s all well and good. Who invited this guy?” he asked, pointing at Kelang.

  “That…was Entropi,” Lunai admitted.

  Bliss silently stared into the eyes under Entropi’s helmet. His face was eerily still, eyes looking wide and devoid of emotion. His mouth slowly curved upward into a faint smirk. “Ok. Let’s go, you two.”

  He hooked a hand under each of his interns’ arms and lifted them away from the train wreck on the beach. He accelerated so drastically that the emergency space-travel setting activated on their suits. They were suddenly floating on the other side of the planet, looking down at the metropolitan sector.

  “Did Crux tell her what hotel I’m staying at?”

  Lunai shook her head. “No, I don’t think so.”

  Bliss sighed as he lowered them to the planet’s surface. “Good. We can all go see Cromble in peace.”

  He started walking towards a marble building with ridiculously tall columns at the front. Lunai and Argalax followed closely behind, happy to get a moment of quiet with the senior they hadn’t seen in a week.