"Are the others awake yet?" I asked the Squadron Leader. "If we're going to have this talk, I only want to go through everything once, time is of the essence here." 

"What do you mean, time is of the essence? The threat has clearly passed," The Squadron Leader replied. 

I shot him a withering look and hoisted my aching body out of its floating bed. I had known from his cowardice during our fight with the hybrid that Belana wasn't the smartest of people in Prespian City, but this was taking his arrogance and idiocy to fresh new levels. All he was doing was cementing the fact that I never wanted to work for him again. 

"The threat hasn't passed in the slightest, if anything, the threat is only just getting started and if you can't see that I might consider taking myself out of the Guard entirely." 

Belana seemed taken aback by that, he flinched as if physically attacked. The concept of someone leaving the guard just days after they had been made a part of his squadron seemed as if it were deeply offensive to the man. 

"Now," I continued, disregarding the man's distress entirely, "We should find the others, I don't like repeating things." 

xXx

We found the four other members of my little group sitting in a recovery lounge area, all four of them eating various different foods. My stomach grumbled at the smell of whatever it was that Yr'Arl was eating. It seemed that Humans and whatever his species was called had a very similar sense of taste. 

<You realise that basically means you like cat food, right?> BB snarked, I couldn't keep the stupid grind off my face at the comment. 

"Hey everyone, how's it going?" I said as we entered the room. 

Yr'Arl jumped to his feet, a deep rumbling purr coming from somewhere in his chest. Akash, meanwhile, visibly stiffened at my voice. It was clear that we weren't going to be anything close to friends quite yet. Pax and Fal were leant up against one another, it was sweet to see them together again after so long. 

Clearly, I was the one who had been out for the longest, whatever Yr'Arl had done hadn't agreed with my human biology. 

"It is good to see you awake, Jacob Lyre, I had feared that…" 

"No need to fear Yr'Arl, I'm just fine," I cut him off and gave him a pat on his shoulder, before taking a seat on one of the more human-looking chairs. "But if we don't get ourselves back in the game, none of us are going to be fine ever again." 

"Indeed, the threat has not yet subsided, and we must… work together… if we are going to stop Lara and her plot," Akash chimed in, I was surprised to see the wooden alien agree with me so quickly. 

"So… It's true then," Belana gasped, "The human wasn't lying, Lara really was behind everything that has happened over the past week."

"The human has a name," I snapped, "and of course I wasn't lying, every word I've ever told you has been the truth, the sooner you realise that the better."

<Someone's on a short tether today,> BB cut in. 

He was right, I was on a short tether. I'd wasted two days already, the tournament would be starting tomorrow, and if Lara was anywhere near as smart and as powerful as she had claimed to be then it was definitely going to be her plan of attack. 

"Very well, Jacob," He spat my name as if it were poison, "What exactly do you suggest?"

I had been thinking about that ever since I had regained consciousness. The fact of the matter was we had absolutely no way to deal with Lara right now. As it stood, she was likely out in space somewhere. That meant she could be absolutely anywhere, and finding her ship would be like pulling a needle from a haystack. Unless you had a magnet, it was completely impossible. 

But we did have a magnet. 

Me. 

"Lara went out of her way to try and get me, Akash and Yr'Arl all out of the equation. For some reason, she sees the three of us, specifically, as a threat to whatever plan that she has concocted. Due to that, at least one of us should take part in the tournament tomorrow," I explained. 

"I shall do it," Akash said, standing from his seat. 

It was at that point that I realised Akash seemed to be fully healed from his previous injuries. Either the medication found in this universe was just that good, or Akash's species were incredibly impressive regenerators. Considering how he had made so many vines appear out of seemingly nothing in the battle we had shared in the battle royale portion of the tournament, I was hedging my bets toward the latter. 

"You shall not be leaving me out of the fight, Jacob lyre," Yr'Arl said. 

That was good, I had the backing of my closest ally and the alien who had so far hated me the most. That at least gave me some confidence in thinking that my current plan of action was at least the correct one. 

"In which case, all three of us will be fighting in the tournament. That way, when Lara enacts her plan, whatever it may be, we will all be there and ready to stop it in its tracks."

"But… but this is preposterous," The Squadron Leader protested. "You can't take part in the tournament because you are already part of a squadron, my squadron. Or did you forget such a simple fact?" 

I shot the man another withering glare, which he physically recoiled from. I'd had just about enough of this snivelling excuse for a squadron leader. Who in their right mind could call themselves a leader if they couldn't even be around for their squadron in their biggest time of need?

"In that case, Squadron Leader Belana, you can consider all three of us officially retired from your Squadron," I said, with a smirk on my face.