The darkness inside the air duct wasn’t a problem for Tejeda. Once his eyes returned to their usual purple hue, he was able to see extremely well even at night, as well as through objects if there were any signs of life he was able to lock onto. In the end, the Nubilae were predators, and hunting provided them with camouflage and vice versa. Evolution was what threw Tejeda’s race into this unending circle of transformation.

After crawling through the vent for a couple of minutes, Tejeda spotted the wall panel he was looking for. The subspace communication network had a ramification node there. It was one of the things he searched for while doing the calculations for the carrots disease. Hiding information in plain sight was another one of his skills. Even if he resented technology, he was rather good at it.

Once his message passed through the communication array and was successfully streamed into the subspace, Tejeda sighed, taking a well-deserved break before heading toward Shayla’s room. He had almost completed his legs, he was only missing the tips of his toes. After two lefts and a right, he removed the bars covering the vent.

The Nubilae had arrived at his destination, the second in command’s closet. He picked up one of her uniforms and started undressing. After polishing Carmen, he glanced at himself. His black silky hair was caressing his shoulders and upper arms. The intense green eyes were as enticing as he remembered them. “This is one of those rare moments when I wished you were bigger, my dear Carmen.”

The spoon wasn’t able to fully show him the naked body he now possessed. In order to fondle both of his boobs simultaneously, Tejeda left Carmen on the table. There was something interesting about them, and they were much bigger than he thought.

A whooshing sound was heard when Carmen flew off the table. Tejeda turned around with his hands still on his chest. His green eyes met the identical ones he had copied. Shayla had a magnet in one hand and in the other a laser pistol directed toward the spoon.

The woman smirked. “Don’t move or she gets it.”

The Nubilae smiled, but with his new appearance couldn’t look as stupid as before. "Oh, Shayla, you used 'she' instead of 'it' when you referred to Carmen. She is starting to grow on you. Also, I must admit that I am amazed you got to me so quickly.”

“That wasn’t so hard after I figured out why you kissed me. Your body was in bad shape, and you had to change it. To do that, you need DNA, hence the kiss. A Nubilae can’t copy the clothes, and you couldn’t pass as me with what you were wearing. So, the next course of action for you was to come and steal my clothes.”

“Smart and beautiful, what a wonderful combination,” Tejeda asserted, teasing her.

The woman wasn’t impressed. “Now, can you stop touching my breasts?”

The Nubilae clutched them even harder. “Oh, but these are mine. I grew them. You have yours.”

“I am not joking. Let them be and start dressing or Carmen gets a laser cut right in her concavity.”

Tejeda shook his head, his hands reaching out for the stolen outfit. “That was not nice. I will not forget this.”

“Don’t make me laugh. You copied my body and had fun with it. That was not nice. We are hardly even. Now give me the chain around your neck.”

Shayla grabbed the chain Tejeda threw at her and hung Carmen at her neck. The spoon didn’t fit between her breasts, so it lay over them. The Nubilae couldn’t take his eyes off Carmen. Still holding the laser pistol, Shayla took a pair of handcuffs and threw them at Tejeda. “Put them on! It is time you meet the boss.”

The two identical women strolled through the corridors. The crewmen gave them close scrutiny, but no one asked questions. Tejeda smiled. “You haven’t told anyone I had escaped. It would have been a tough blow for your ego.”

“I got you back without anyone’s help, didn't I?”

“Indeed, you have, my dear Shayla! Oh, do you know that you are the second thing I called dear in my entire lifetime?”

“Even if I believe you, being the second after a spoon wouldn’t make any woman feel any better. Also, I am not narcissistic enough to fall for myself.”

The Syndicate of Cosmic Freedom's leader was exercising in the afternoon when the two women arrived at Kalden's office. Multiple minuscule robots worked his muscles to improve their development. They looked like robotic insects invading his legs, arms, and upper body.

Shayla didn’t wait for introductions. She shoved Tejeda, forcing him to kneel. “Captain, this is the Nubilae we captured. He is a member of the Supervising Unit.”

Before Kalden could react, the kneeling Shayla looked him in the eyes and talked with a firm voice. “I am sorry, Captain. The Nubilae bested me and took my form. You have already seen him in the arena fighting with that weird object. He is wearing it right now. Capture him before he flees or kills you!”

Shayla’s eyes widened, seeing how Kalden was watching them both with his cold glare. Her captain was a madman with no interest in weak beings. If even for a moment he would believe Tejeda, Kalden would kill them both.

The captain laughed hysterically. “For a while now, I was thinking about how I could get rid of Shayla without starting a mutiny. You see, I have plans which I know you won’t approve, and that will surely start an uprising. But this is a win-win situation for me. I will kill you both and say you killed each other.”

Kalden already had a gun in his hand, which he pointed towards Shaila. Untied and armed, she presented a greater risk. In the last second, Tejeda pushed her aside, taking the photonic discharge on her behalf.