Saving the universe was never Sasha's mo. Sure it would have been nice to do, but finding her best friends always took priority. Seeing Cici again. Seeing Iris again. It was the main reason she'd left with Mr. Erin and Mr. Xan in the first place.

Even so...

In all her time traveling the cosmos, there was always one man whose face appeared in the back of her thoughts without fail. One man who she'd wanted nothing more than to claw away at with reckless disregard. The same person who she could hear plain as day speaking to her from beyond a projection screen. The one who invaded her world.

"Comet Man," she said.

Iris's fur bristled, fangs bared as she came to the same realization. They were actually speaking to him. The Comet Man. The Light Binder. He'd finally shown himself.

"I realize this may be a bit of an awkward proposal," he said from beyond the static image hovering over their command deck's view window. "I am the man partially responsible for unleashing the White Legion on the cosmos."

"Partially?" Iris practically jumped up. "You opened the portals! You led them to us!"

"Well, I could hardly take full credit. I am the result of a multitude of followers, allies, and acquaintances alike. And a few enemies. I suppose we're the same in that regard."

Iris looked ready to jump through the projection. She probably would have tried if not for Sasha holding her back. As the Comet Man spoke, she'd made sure to glance every so often past the screen. At the comet hovering directly in front of them in the vast sea of Warp Space. It hadn't diverted from its path. Nor had it moved out of firing range. Would it have been that easy? A part of her wanted to try, but another told her to not be so hasty. She wasn't the only one on the ship, after all.

"What do you want?" she finally asked.

She could hear him chuckle from behind the screen.

"Ah yes, the voice of reason. I take it you're the wolf's newest companion. That cat I've heard so much about."

Her ears twitched. She resisted the urge to respond. As much as she hated the man's voice, she at least wanted to hear what he had to say.

"Ahem," he continued. "I've come with a proposal, my beastly compatriots. If my sources are correct, we face a common enemy. The ones who are really calling the shots throughout the cosmos. For now, at least."

"The AIC, you mean?" Sasha asked.

"Bingo! And currently, we both stand as enemies on their kill list. Me especially."

Iris growled again, though she didn't directly respond. Given everything back on Ursa, Sasha couldn't exactly argue with the Light Binder's deduction.

In the span of a day, she'd lost both her liaisons, been chased off-world, and now was floating through warp space a wanted panther. Even more so than before, given it was her own goddess who set her up in the first place. Wherever she was, Elisia had chosen to side with the very people who wanted Sasha in chains. Or dead. And she doubted that would change even with the White Legion running amuck throughout the cosmos.

"There's an old human saying," the Comet Man went on. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend. And given what I've heard of you, I believe you have the potential to be a worthy ally indeed. Much stronger than your predecessors. Perhaps one strong enough to reshape the universe herself."

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

Her whiskers twitched. Reshape the universe? Was he being serious? It was hard to tell from audio alone, but she could practically see the man smiling. At the very least, it felt like he believed his own words. Enemy of my enemy? She glanced to Iris, who looked ready to push them into an all-out assault on the comet right then and there. He was still within firing range. How easy would it have been to just start shooting? Turn this entire void into a battleground?

She was already an enemy of the AIC. And her liaisons had risked everything to get her this far. So gunning the comet down with everything she had was a good decision. It was what she really wanted to do.

But...

"Enemy of my enemy is my friend, huh?" she repeated.

Just the thought made her sick to her stomach.

She looked down at her hands, claws sharpening and unsharpening. She'd dreamt of the day she'd finally get to use them on that cocky tail brain. But there was an even louder voice crying out in the back of her mind. Reminding her of the many droids who'd been left without their commanders. Of the ship that now had two empty bedrooms. Of the training room that would only have her and the training bot to utilize.

She wanted to assault the Comet Man. But she wanted to have those two with her even more. Even if it meant making a bad choice.

"I really really hate your guts, Comet Man," she said. "Just talking to you makes me wanna punch you in the face. Again. And again. And again, just for good measure."

She retracted her claws, letting out her longest sigh. Their faces lingered in her mind.

"Unfortunately, I'll have to take a raincheck on that," she went on. "Right now, I got friends to save. I don't have time to deal with you."

She moved for the front of the ship, activating the intercom she'd heard Mr. Xan speak through countless times. To be using it now...She pushed the thought aside, putting as much power into her voice as she could muster.

"Attention all droids!" she shouted. "We're returning to Ursa! We're gonna get our liaisons back here and now! Prepare for battle!"

She could hear several whirls and chimes in response. So you guys were just as worried as me, huh? She smiled, the idea making her less apprehensive of the decision. One she knew even before looking a certain wolf would disapprove of. But Sasha had no intentions of backing down. Not even to her closest friend.

"We're saving my liaisons," she said. "I owe them that much. Besides. I command the ship now. My ship. My rules."

It felt a bit awkward saying it aloud, but she tried her best to put on the mask of acting captain. Was that what she was now? She tried to keep her face stern and unmoving like a true commander. Iris didn't relent on the issue, but she didn't push the discussion further than an angry look. It was the best Sasha could have hoped for. She turned her attention back to the projector screen, the Comet Man behind it having not spoken a word during her entire declaration. As if it mattered.

"You're right about one thing," Sasha said. "I am the AIC's enemy. But I'm you're enemy too. We both are."

She pointed at the screen.

"So don't think you'll be safe forever, tail brain. You're next."

She finally nodded to her droids, who cut the transmission right then, the window of the command deck returning to normal. Sasha's mask fell almost immediately, the weight of the panther's own words hitting her like a brick to the face.

Holy cripes. D-did I really just do that? Did I really just threaten the Light Binder?

She'd almost forgotten the man was supposed to be some kind of god. Maybe one as bad as Elisia. And yet...That reminder only made her feel warmer about her declaration. She let out a small purr as the bots turned their ship around, setting the navigation to lock back on Ursa.

Iris didn't remain in the command deck for long. When Sasha looked over, the wolf was already gone. More than likely to sulk somewhere for a while. Having known the wolf since they were kids, Sasha had little doubt she'd get over it. Even so, she always hated the waiting in-between.

Sorry, Iris. You'll just have to wait a little longer. I promise I'll get you your chance.

She watched from the rear monitors as the comet grew further and further away. Her one objective. And it was becoming a blip in the void behind her.

You wait up too, Comet Man. I'll make sure your face gets punched. That's a promise, too.

She grinned wide. With a final jerk, the ship launched forward down the path back to Ursa.