The muscle man looked at Carmen and laughed. Tejeda holding out the spoon in a melee stance was also pretty amusing. The crowd created an echo like pieces of dominoes falling. Everyone laughed, Tejeda included. He had learned long ago that laughing when everyone else did was good, even if he didn't understand why the amusement.Suddenly, the blonde pack of muscles stopped, his blue eyes shooting Tejeda. “Why are you laughing?”That question put the Nubilae in a really tough spot. He had felt this way only once before when one of his tentacles emerged during a conclave of the Universal Consensus. Their Grand Admiral was an important man. It was well known that he didn’t possess tentacles or other appendages.All things considered, Tejeda gave the same answer as back then. “It is one of my hidden abilities. That is how I stretch my face muscles. Do you like it?”His opponent wasn’t impressed or amused by the response

The green sky of Nubilonia, his homeworld, was a sight for sore eyes. As usual, the red dwarf star shone in the sky. Tejeda lived on the side of the planet that faced the sun all the time. The scorching heat was something he was accustomed to as evolution was extremely generous with his species.Nubilonia was tidal locked to its star, meaning that the planet revolved around its axis once every revolution around its sun. Thus, it was forever facing the red dwarf with the same part. The planet was a perpetual desert on one side and a never-ending glacier on the other side.Both parts of Tejeda's planet were dear to him. He was a Nubilae after all, so he could adapt to any extreme temperatures. It was the simultaneous exposure of his body to different extreme temperatures that posed the problem. As it was happening now when Tejeda awakened from his sweet dream regarding his homeworld.Stretched upon a table, the muscular man was gripped by strong chains that pulled

Tejeda’s vision blurred on her face. He raised a hand and rubbed his eyes. A gentle hand caressed his cheek. When he could finally open his eyes, he saw Shayla’s jade glare. His head was on her lap. His body felt different and a weird metallic taste fouled his mouth. The Nubilae clicked his tongue in displeasure. “Shayla, have you given me to drink blood? I am not a vampire, for fucking out loud!”Her gaze hardened. “This is what I get for saving your life? Would you prefer a dead man’s saliva?”As Shayla leaned over him, Carmen fluttered above Tejeda’s nose. He turned it to look at himself in its reflection. His bald head was shining, enhancing his high cheekbones and amber eyes. He had a short beard that had not been shaved in a few days, which gave him a distinct masculine look while letting his strong jaw stand out. That was the face of Kalden Deltak, the leader of the Syndicate of Cosmic Freedom.Still watchin

Tejeda thought he would have difficulty figuring out where the meeting between the Universal Consensus and the Alpha Pirates was about to occur. Fortunately, the Syndicate of Cosmic Freedom was in possession not only of the Interstellar Police’s database but those of both the Universal Consensus and the Alpha Pirates.Reading the quantum-zip files, Tejeda scratched his beard that was starting to itch him badly. But Shayla told him that Kalden Deltak would have never shaved it clean. It was sort of a trademark, showing everyone that he had the capability of growing hair. Just not on his head.Shayla was next to him, reading the QZs and leaning forward at the desk. Oh, QZs is the short form for the quantum-zip files. Try to keep up.Carmen was still hung around her neck. Tejeda simply couldn’t ask Shayla to give it back. It looked too good the way it was. The two were gorgeous together.Realizing that he was staring at her chest, Tejeda coughed.

SCF1 was heading toward the Universal Consensus coordinates. Uthion, a class H stony planet with a perfect atmosphere for human existence, was their goal. It was mostly desolate, with just a few scattered tiny villages. The majority of Uthionians fled to other worlds as soon as they could. Many individuals would find it difficult to live with the continual danger of corrosive rain above their heads.In the past, nefarious groups from this region of the galaxy collaborated to build a dome in the northern hemisphere of Uthion, which was immune to the planet's weather conditions. The planet's tiny population and corrosive rain made it ideal for shady enterprises, illicit auctions, and trade.Tejeda and Shayla took a shuttle to the planet. After inserting the exact coordinates for the dome, he set the computer AI for automatic descent. The Nubilae turned around to admire Shayla’s outfit. After requisitioning several sheets, Tejeda asked Harland King and his team to b