my old cell. Seems fitting, somehow.” Moe hadn’t really cared for the idea of putting Pelarus on display in the arena, but the more he thought about it, the more satisfying it seemed. “Let’s check out the refreshments. Dunno about you, but all I’ve had today is a wilted salad and a candy bar. I’d kill for a hot dog and a big pile of potato chips—or a burger and fries. Maybe even a bowl of popcorn. I’m not choosy.”
“Since I have no idea what any of those things are, I doubt you’ll find them on the table.”
“You might be surprised. After all, you were served roast chicken earlier today. No telling what else they found in the palace stasis unit.”
“I just hope they didn’t bring it all out at once. I can see the food supply dwindling in a hurry.”
Moe chuckled. “Once the word gets out about how much money there is to be made here, supply ships will start swarming the spaceport like yellow jackets at a lemonade stand.”
Judging by her frown, he suspected she didn’t get the yellow jacket reference, but she apparently chose to let it pass. “Did you mean all that stuff you said about reclaiming the planet? Would that really work?”
He shrugged. “Who knows? But I’ll bet Velkma and Yirland are itching to give it the old college try. The trick will be to keep from being scammed.”
“Yet another word I don’t understand,” she grumbled. “What does scammed mean?”
“Means being taken for a ride. Taken advantage of. Cheated by the unscrupulous.”
“My, that makes it so much clearer,” she drawled.
“Okay…” He thought for a moment. “It’s when bad people promise you something, then take your money and leave you with nothing.”
“That’s better. Got it, thanks.”
Moe waved at the two Haedusian women as he and Klara approached. “Good news! Val found what he referred to as a staggering amount of money, and he’s working on transferring it here. Sounds like it’ll be more than enough to keep everyone fed and maybe even restore the planet, if that’s still what you want to do.”
“I believe most of us would choose to save our world,” Yirland said. “However, we will do as suggested and take a vote.”
“Good plan,” Moe said. “In the meantime, I’m sure Mom can sell you all kinds of useful things. You wouldn’t believe how much stuff she has on her ship. It’s even more cluttered than it was when I was a kid.”
Velkma smiled as she glanced toward Cat and Jack, who were still dancing while the band played a lively tune. “It will be a pleasure doing business with her.”
“She’s pretty shrewd. Hardly anyone tries to cheat her anymore. Anyone who’s heard of her, that is. You’ll be able to get good advice from her, starting with ‘If a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is.’”
Velkma laughed—something she probably hadn’t done in quite some time, if ever. Although, in Moe’s opinion, even a happy Haedusian’s laughter sounded a bit grudging. “I’m certain we will make a few mistakes, but we will do our best to make wise use of the recovered funds. This was never a wealthy world. Perhaps with careful planning, we can become one in time.” She set down her cup and took Moe’s hand in a surprisingly firm grasp. “We cannot thank you enough for helping to free our people and return our stolen wealth to us.”
“Don’t thank me,” Moe said. “It was a group effort. You ladies contributed just as much as I did.”
“Perhaps,” Velkma said. “But you were the one who actually caught him. For that act alone, we will be forever in your debt.”
Moe didn’t think he could take much more of this without turning fifty shades of red. “You can pay the debt off right now if you’ve got any hot dogs.”
“We cannot be certain what some of these foods are,” Yirland admitted. “There were many things that were not recognized by those who prepared them.”
“I’m guessing the little bird women weren’t much help,” Klara muttered.
“If you are referring to the Zuterans, no, they were not.” A low growling sound issued from Yirland’s throat. “Even though they were threatened with the dungeons if they did not assist.”
“I’m not surprised,” Klara said. “They seemed pretty loyal to Pelarus.”
“They were perhaps the only ones who were,” Yirland said. “The Nedwuts seem as pleased as we to have him removed from power.”
“That’s the thing about Nedwuts,” Klara said. “They tend to side with whomever they believe