Sasha grimaced, the sixth clock lying crumpled along with the remains of the training dummy.

"Well...I suppose this is progress," Mr. Erin said.

"How so?"

The digits flickered, still counting down.

"You didn't completely damage it."

She groaned. Somehow not crushing things was suddenly the hardest thing in the universe. She was almost glad when the intercom buzzed, Mr. Xan's yawning voice coming through the speaker.

"Zaaa- Guh. Zamonia ahead. You know the drill. Xan out."

Sasha put away GT, robots arriving to clean up the scraps of hay and broken clocks. Cripes, this displacement stuff is annoying. She fell in behind Mr. Erin, both separating to prepare for another planetary drop. Though Alexander was a snag, they still had a wolf to chase down.

***

Zamonia was the latest arrival. The long stretches of vines and curved trees reminded her a lot of Torpha, though its inhabitants were nothing alike. For all intents and purposes, they appeared human, their skin devoid of fur beyond what they used for clothing. Even so, Sasha couldn't help but marvel at them. Never before had she seen humans quite so...tall. Like lumbering skeletons. Even Xan was a child by comparison. Just what kind of world is this? Her whiskers twitched, Sasha trying not to dwell on it too much as they parked in a nearby clearing.

"Sasha, you may want to put on a suit for this," Mr. Erin said. "It's a Class A world."

"A?"

"As in you'll float away if you jump too high," Mr. Xan said.

Given the dangers of the AIC, the panda had agreed to start coming on more planetary missions. This despite his hatred of all things bright and sunny, both of which Zamonia had in spades. That and insects, which the panda frantically swatted away.

"Gah. Hate this place."

He pulled over his hood, shades securing atop his helmet. Sasha snickered. Zamonia was admittedly much brighter than Alfleece. And lighter. She turned off her suit's artificial magnetism and nearly flew away the minute she jumped off Ship B's ramp. Holy! She hovered above the ground, floating down like a feather. The gravity. It was just like being in a world made of bedsprings! The panther grinned.

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"That's one step for panthers!" she said, hopping to the sky and floating away.

Her liaisons were far less enthused, walking along while she temporarily became a rabbit-cat. She bounced off the trees, their bases surprisingly soft as she sprung around. This was it. This was what so many of her old denmates dreamed of. Bouncing on the moon and seeing the stars. Sure Zamonia was no moon, but a panther could dream. She squealed, gleefully hopping from branch to branch.

"Stay away!"

Her ears twitched, Sasha stopping at the unknown voice.

"You will not take this planet!"

Her whiskers twitched. Legionnaire signals were rising from below. She looked down to see a portal on the ground. And the screaming human.

Welp, there goes the fun. She narrowed on the stranger.

It was a male, by the looks of it. He had a spear in one hand and a shield in the other, roaring his challenge to all the monsters pouring out. It only took one to knock him aside. Cripes. GT appeared, Sasha zipping and landing right on top of one of the legionnaires. The others turned to her, but she zipped away, staff jabbing one in the neck.

"Hey there," Sasha said. She fell in front of the human. "You al-"

A spear almost jabbed her in the face, Sasha ducking.

"Woah! Easy there, guy. I'm here to help."

The human retracted.

"Y-you're talking? You things can talk?"

That earned an immediate frown, though Sasha couldn't dwell on it as she turned to block a set of pincers trying to cleave her in two. Fangs and claws snapped. She pushed the legionnaire back, water cutting it to dust. She smiled, her liaisons appearing with weapons in hand. The human's shock only grew.

"What in the name of the gods?" he dropped his spear, backing away. "Who- What are you creatures?"

Sasha finally lost her patience, snapping at the Zamonian.

"Who the heck you calling a 'creature'?"

The human flinched. He frantically picked up his spear, though it trembled in his hands. Sasha growled, a thumb pointed to herself.

"The name's Sasha," she said. "Sasha the Panther. That panda there is Mr. Xan, and that weasel's Mr. Erin. We're not things. We're the ones saving stupid planets like yours."

She pointed to each of her liaisons as she said this, though they were too busy cleaning up the White Legion to respond. The spear lowered.

"Save?" he asked. His eyes widened. "Wait. Are you...with the gods?"

Sasha raised a brow at that. But as he said the words, Sasha finally noticed something along the human's neck. A long stretch of white tattooed into his skin. An image she immediately honed in on. Is that...Is that a comet? The human looked at her for a response, Sasha suddenly all too curious just what world she'd dropped in on.

She could feel Iris's signals. She'd been through the world. But why? Considering the only lead she had was the flaming man from Shiny...She fixed a smile. Maybe it was better just to play along for the time being.

"Yes," she said. "We are with the gods. Can't you tell?"

The human smiled back, his apprehension melting away.

"Praise be the Light Binder!" he shouted.

She simply nodded in response.