Declassified

The entity was more than living up to her expectations. Massive ribbons of energy lashed out from within the artifact, cutting down entire squads of Klingons with each stroke and filling the air with terrifying cracks, as if from a giant bullwhip. Blood and viscera sprayed from dismembered Klingon bodies, clouding the air around the artifact with a grotesque fuchsia mist.

Counting off the seconds in her head, Bridy sprinted for the compound’s gate, dozens of meters from the operations shack. Behind her, the screeching of disruptors tapered off and was replaced by the agonized groans of the dying. Her shadow stretched away ahead of her, preceding her to the gate. Then another shadow arced toward hers. She dodged left and dove for the ground.

A javelin-tipped tentacle of shimmering fluid shot past her, close enough for her to feel its rush of displaced air. The Shedai’s pointed appendage tore a long, ugly divot into the ground ahead of her.

I set it free and this is the thanks I get?She rolled away while firing her phaser back at the wildly flailing creature. Talk about ungrateful.

Qui

Bridy looked back. The Shedai was free of the Conduit and pummeling the structures inside the Klingons’ compound into rubble and dust.

She forced herself back into motion and staggered toward the gate. Her gait was sloppy, like that of a drunkard, and as she lifted her arm to aim her phaser, she could barely keep it pointed in the gate’s general direction. Pressing the trigger, she hoped she wouldn’t hit Qui

A blinding flash of phaser energy vaporized more than half the metal gate and a significant chunk of the reinforced thermocrete wall to its right, creating a gap more than wide enough for Bridy’s escape. She stumbled through, careful not to touch the glowing-hot metal or stone with her bare hands. As she cleared the phaser-cut passageway, the Dulcineatouched down directly ahead of her. Its starboard-side hatchway was open, and its ramp had been lowered.

Through a pane of the cockpit’s windshield, Bridy saw Qui

Bridy all but threw herself onto the ramp and used its railings to pull herself inside the ship, a state-of-the-art Nalori argosy that Qui

“We’re clear,” Qui

“The Warden, I think.”

“Not a friend of ours, then.”

The Conduit on the surface crackled with violent energy, and the Shedai transmuted into a serpent of black smoke. Intense white light flashed in the Conduit’s center, and when it faded the black smoke had dissipated, leaving no trace of the homicidal alien hegemon. Qui

Bridy laid a reassuring hand on Qui

“No kidding.” He glanced toward the planet’s surface as he guided the Dulcineathrough a steep, banking turn. Except for the Shedai Conduit itself, nothing remained of the Klingon research base except debris and ashes. “Looks like our work here is done,” he said. “Let’s call in the cavalry and have di

2

Ganz curled his hand into a fist as he stared at the comm display.

“Where is he?”

Kajek, a Nausicaan bounty hunter, shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“You said you’d found him.”

“No, I said I found his ship.”Kajek uploaded a series of images to Ganz’s screen via the subspace comm link. “It was on Zeta Aurigae IV two days ago.”

The Orion gangster studied the photographs and paid close attention to their details. The markings on Zett’s vessel were unmistakable, as was the unique bit of battle damage visible on its dorsal hull, just behind the cockpit canopy. “That’s his ship,” Ganz said. Then the image switched to one showing the vessel’s registry. “Those aren’t Nalori markings. Those are human symbols.”

“It says ‘Dulcinea’ in Federation Standard. I have no idea what it means.”

“It means someone stole Zett’s ship. Who has it?”

More images appeared on Ganz’s screen, narrated by Kajek. “Two humans. A man and a woman. I suspect he is the pilot and she a passenger.”

“You’re half right.” Ganz massaged his left temple to stave off a nascent headache induced by the bass-heavy music resounding from the gaming floor outside his office. “The man is Cervantes Qui

It had been over a year since someone—Ganz had never been entirely certain who—had cleared all of Qui

Since taking that advice to heart, Ganz had suspected Qui

The Nausicaan interrupted Ganz’s somber reflection with a loud grunt. “Am I finished, then? Or do you have a new commission for me?”

“Hang on, I’m thinking.” He put the comm on standby and looked past its display toward his lover, Neera. She reclined in a seductive pose on the sofa, her raven mane spilling wildly over her jade-hued shoulders and concealing the choicest bits of her bare torso. “What do you think?”

She fixed him with a cold stare. “You knowwhat I think.”

“The situation has changed.”

“No, it hasn’t.” She finger-combed a thick fall of hair from her eyes. “Qui

“Which means he just spat in our eye.”

“Your eye, maybe. I never liked Zett. He was a disaster waiting to happen.” She shot a diabolical smirk at Ganz. “Mister Qui

Ganz suppressed an angry sigh. Though he played the part of the boss aboard the merchantman Omari-Ekon,he was merely a figurehead for Neera, the organization’s true mistress. At times such as this, he had to remember not to let his role go to his head lest Neera decide to recast it with someone more pliable. “I agree that Zett’s knack for bloodshed was a liability at times, but he was a loyal employee and a good earner.”