Page 21 of Oh No, I Shot A Spaceship And Kissed An Alien Cyberchef

“I’m sorry,” I say, moving to the NutriSynth to start on the not-coffee. “It’s been... a long night.” And a short morning, apparently.

“Spill,” Zoe demands, perching on a nearby counter. “Did the General like the food? I know how long you worked on that one dish.”

I take a deep breath, focusing on the motions of preparing hot drinks. For once in my life, the machine actually works. Oh hey, the power’s back on! I didn’t even notice at first. I’ve been distracted by other… things. Nelan’s big thing, to be precise. And by “thing,” I mean his... personality. Yeah, let’s go with that.

“He liked it. But that’s not... I overheard something. Something big.”

Three pairs of eyes lock onto me, curiosity and concern evident in their expressions. I feel like I’m about to drop the galaxy’s juiciest gossip bomb. Move over, space tabloids.

“Define ‘big,’” Charlotte says, leaning forward. She shoves her round glasses up her nose, the thick lenses making her eyes comically large.

I glance around, making sure we’re alone, before lowering my voice. “The General isn’t here for a vacation. He’s trying to convince Rist to go back to Latium. To lead some kind of coup against his brother.”

A stunned silence falls over the kitchen.

“Holy shit,” Elana breathes. “Are you sure?”

I nod, recounting the conversation I overheard. As I speak, I watch their expressions shift from shock to worry to determination.

“So what do we do?” I ask. “I mean, this is way above our pay grade, right? Last I checked, ‘Intergalactic Political Conspirator’ wasn’t in my job description.”

“Is it, though?” Charlotte muses, her brow furrowed in thought. “We might not be politicians or soldiers, but we’re not exactly uninvolved bystanders either. This hotel, this refuge Rist has built – we’re all a part of it.”

“Charlotte’s right,” Elana agrees. “If Rist leaves, what happens to us? To all the refugees who’ve found safety here?”

The weight of the situation settles over us like a heavy blanket. I hand out mugs of not-coffee, the familiar routine a stark contrast to the gravity of our conversation. It’s weird that only yesterday I hated this task… and now, I want to have a long future serving drinks to my besties. Funny how impending doom changes your perspective.

“But what can we actually do?” I voice the question we’re all thinking. “It’s not like we can march up to the General and tell him to leave us all the hell alone. ‘Excuse me, sir, could you kindly take your coup and shove it?’”

“No,” Charlotte says slowly, “but we can support Rist. Let him know he’s not alone in this. That he has a family here, people who care about him.”

“And maybe,” Zoe adds, “we can start preparing. Just in case things... escalate.”

We all nod, the implication clear. If Rist’s brother decides to come after him here, we need to be ready. I mean, until recently it was a running joke among us residents that there are cannons powerful enough to shoot ships out of the sky on our rooftops. Sutek proved that’s a real thing. He’s been ready for a while. Now it’s time for us to be too. This time we’ll turn the cannons on, for good this time. Nothing says “Welcome to our hotel” like a face full of laser fire.

“Okay,” Zoe says, clapping her hands together. “So we’ve got a plan. Sort of. Now, can we talk about the elephant in the room?”

She turns to me, a mischievous glint in her eye. “Laura, honey, you look like you haven’t slept a wink. And correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t that Nelan’s shirt you’re wearing?”

I glance down at my body in utter horror, heat rushing to my face. I hadn’t even realized I’d grabbed one of Nelan’s shirts in my haste to leave his room. Great. I might as well be wearing a neon sign that says, “I Just Got Laid.”

“I... we...” I stammer, searching for words. Eloquent as always, Laura.

“Oh my god, you totally slept with him!” Elana squeals, practically bouncing in her seat. “Finally! The sexualtension in that kitchen was so thick, you could cut it with a knife. And then probably serve it as a main course.”

“Keep it down!” I hiss, mortified. “It’s not... I mean, we did, but it’s not like that. It’s complicated. Like, quantum physics complicated.”

“Laura, it’s okay if you have feelings for him.” Charlotte, ever observant, leans forward, her eyes searching my face. She says gently, “But that’s not what’s bothering you, is it? You look like you’re carrying the weight of the galaxy on your shoulders. And trust me, that’s not a good look with bedhead.”

I feel the walls I’ve carefully constructed around my past start to crumble. These women are my friends, my chosen family. If I can’t trust them, who can I trust? Besides, they’ve already seen me cry over burnt toast. This can’t be much worse.

“The thing is...” I start, my voice barely above a whisper. “There was someone. Before...”

The kitchen falls silent, the only sound the quiet hum of the NutriSynth in the background as it churns out another not-coffee. Probably plotting world domination, one mediocre beverage at a time.

“He seemed perfect at first,” I continue, the words spilling out now that I’ve started. “Charming, attentive. He made me feel special, you know?”

The girls nod, encouraging me to go on.

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