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WHERE ARE WE GOING?

Outside the windshield, you can see all sorts of starcraft shooting around.

Domestic zoompods, combat crafts, gold trawlers, cargo transports, you name it.

Some of these ships are shooting in the opposite direction of us, screaming in off to our right and our left. They are entering Blegwethia’s atmosphere.

I can tell ATHENOS II is up to something but I also know better than to try and steer the ship back to Blegwethia. When you’ve just been kidnapped like this, it’s surprising how calm your mind gets and how you instantly start trying to adapt to the situation.

“Well done, sir,” says ATHENOS II. “We missed colliding with Dean Floop by two inches. Because of the proximity of his spaceship, we had a 99.8% chance of dying in that collision. Bravo.”

But I don’t freaking say anything.

Because I know if I open my beak I’m liable to shoot a hideous firestream into ATHENOS II’s Control Display and melt the entire control unit down.

So instead of shooting a firestream, I just grit my fangs and I lash my tail around.

Where the heck are we going?

And what about Fribby?

I know I’m going to have to do something savage, but I don’t know what.

Now as I look out the windshield I have to admit to myself that there is something soothing about seeing all these spaceships zooming around out here in space. Because some of these ships out here, like mine, have just rocketed clear of Blegwethia’s atmosphere for the purpose of interstellar travel.

Then almost out of reflex I reach up and touch my horns.

They are still as small as ever.