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  “Fuck!” I exclaimed. “Already? Those bastards are sharp.”

  “It appears their commander had a contingency plan if we broke through the formation,” Sothos informed me. “He’s acted on it, and they are nearly here. We’ll be in targeting range in two minutes at current projected rates. Oops, make that one minute; they’ve dispatched four Invader missiles with nuclear warheads.”

  “I thought they wanted to take the Byzantium intact!” Zilpha snapped.

  “Guess they’re going to plan B,” Jenica replied. “They’ll destroy the ship to keep anyone else from having it."

  “Rashina," I said, “can you get us to safety? I don’t think we’ll be able to survive another encounter. We don’t have much time.”

  Rashina, her eyes still closed, smiled. “Oh, here it is,” she sighed. “So obvious. Why didn’t I see it before? Yes, I can do this. The coordinates check out too. Strap yourselves back in; we are about to leave. Need to do that before the bad bombs get here.”

  “Aren’t you going to strap in too?” I asked her as I tightened myself in. The other two women were already secure.

  “I don’t have to,” she explained. “I get to fly the ship. Are you ready, Sothos?”

  “Affirmative,” it spoke. “Missiles are closing in fast. Oh, dear, they just detonated the warheads. We’re not in an atmosphere, so the radius of the blast zone will be small. Hmmm, seems like the warheads are designated to create an intense burst of gamma rays that will disable my circuitry. Must be their plan: kill everything on the inside and capture the ship intact.”

  I watched the sides of the starship glow as they became transparent. Rashina held her head back and dropped her clothing. She stood naked on the bridge, her wings spread wide. I’d assumed those wings weren’t functional, but, in her case, they appeared to have to do with the hyper-drive. Through the transparent walls of the starship, I saw the glitter of the gamma radiation as it flowed in our direction. The missiles were built with shape charges that would concentrate the radiation on us. No reason to send it back toward the Irunian task group.

  “Do you see this?” I asked Zilpha, who was strapped in next to me. “Do you see the ship turning clear too?”

  “Yes, I do,” she responded in wonder. “What about you Jenica?”

  “It’s beautiful,” the Felinx answered. “I’ve never seen anything like this. Are we going to die?”

  “Not if I can prevent it,” Rashina vowed, her hands spread out. “Let’s get this thing to where we want to go.”

  The entire ship became one crystal object with the stars visible through the walls. I saw the electronic components and the inner parts of the Byzantium. The glitter of the gamma radiation spread in our direction.

  But there was something else. Someone else, actually.

  Next to Rashina stood a man in an ancient sailor’s uniform. I’d seen pictures of old sailors in books but never in real life. He wore blue and had a cap on his head. He was pale, almost as pale as an Irunian, but his skin glowed. In front of him was a large wheel. Next to the wheel was a handle mounted to a large dial.

  “You’re Sothos,” I concluded.

  “Like this version?” it asked me. “I plan on keeping it for the voyage.” Sothos turned to Rashina. “Permission to take her out, Captain?”

  “Full speed ahead!” Rashina ordered and pointed one slender finger away from us.

  “Aye, aye, Skipper,” Sothos confirmed. “Full speed ahead!”

  The sailor pulled the handle down, and we began our voyage across the galaxy.

  Epilogue

  Nyx Station adapted quick to the usurpation of power by the Irunian Empire.

  The Irunians didn’t want their presence to become too noticed by the population. The day after the Byzantium escaped from the task force, a small delegation met with the central council of the Fathers and made it quite clear what was to be expected in the future. The senate could meet whenever it wanted, but all actions would be overseen by the new military viceroy assigned to Nyx. They didn’t want to make a big deal out of their occupation, as that would set off alarms in all the other system governments in the sector. Better to be effective and let the locals continue as before but with oversight. Besides, it wouldn’t matter much when they used Nyx for what they had in mind...

  The only thing anyone noticed right away was the legation. Down went the Nyx side of the security around it, to be replaced by official Irunian guards. There was still a line outside it every morning for people who wanted to go in to work or make deliveries, but there were no vendors selling wares from card tables along the pathway. The Irunians wanted them gone immediately. Too many possibilities for criminal elements to spy on their goings-on inside.

  Likewise, Irunian ships were no longer challenged when they entered Nyx territory. They had first pick of any landing field placements, and no customs officials from Nyx would visit them anymore.

  The empire demoted several naval officers once we left their grasp and assigned them to lesser postings. An entire team of military experts was dispatched from their homeworld to search the last location of the Byzantium. Every Irunian on the task force was interviewed to find out what had happened. There were countless classified reports issued over the disappearance of the starship. Officially, we were listed as KIA, although not one piece of metal was identified from the Byzantium.

  Another team was dispatched to find out what had happened, but little was said about them. This new team had a special place in the empress’ heart. It was a group she trusted and her officers feared.

  The general staff was furious the starship escaped. It proved to them that a technology existed that would enable them to travel across the galaxy without having to use jump points. If only they could possess it.

  But there was nothing they could do other than issue a reward for any information about the four of us, despite our official “deaths.”

  Seven days after we left the vicinity of Nyx Station, there was an important meeting held at the legation. Representatives from the Fathers were summoned, plus the syndicates not involved in the shoot-out at the Cinzar compound, as well as some of the businesses near the docks. The Cinzar family import-export company was now in the hands of the Irunian military, as was the casino and every other business Boss Korth ran out of that building. The conference was sponsored by the Irunian military, but everyone knew someone else was behind it. At the time, no one native to Nyx wanted to openly speculate who that might be. New money was flushed into the docks, and they wanted informers who would relay certain kinds of information to the Irunian occupational government.

  The meeting took place in the tallest building in the former legation, now a government sector. It was on the top floor that day. In the conference room set aside for it, a door opened to admit the military officers from the Irunian Empire. They were followed by some members of the Nyx Militia, who knew their place in the New Order. They sat down at the far end of the table. The next group who filed in were the representatives from the Fathers, followed by business leaders, and a few delegates from the trade unions.

  They all managed to seat themselves with little issue. Other than the Irunian military officials in the back, everyone seemed uncomfortable. All were summoned to the meeting on short notice, and it was made clear by the wording on the letters, hand delivered by Irunian couriers, that no absences would be tolerated. This was not something anyone was used to, but it was made clear that they would learn to adjust. Or they would if they wanted to continue to thrive as a colony of the Irunian Empire.

  Everyone was on time, and many were early that day. Coffee and doughnuts were served and none of the meeting attendees had any reason to go hungry or thirsty.

  Five minutes after the meeting was supposed to begin, the door to the conference room opened again.

  Two guards entered from the Irunian Shore Patrol walked in and checked to make sure there were no recording devices and that the window shades were drawn. Satisfied, they left the roo
m and went back outside.

  The other attendees looked at each other in confusion, sighed, and waited for the guest of honor. Formalities had to be obeyed.

  The next time the doors opened, a green Amazon entered the room by herself. This was the woman I’d known as Dentata.

  She wore a gown that highlighted her tall, slim figure. The Amazon entered the room and sat down at an empty seat toward the front of the table. The letters mentioned that the head of the table and six seats on either side were to be left open. The invitation also suggested where each invitee should sit. The people at the table understood the suggestion to be a command and had seated themselves accordingly.

  Behind Dentata, a line of green Amazons entered the room, each as elegantly dressed as she was, and each tall and noble in their bearing. The floor was carpeted, or their heels would have clacked like a train crossing an intersection as they entered the room. Each found a chair near the head of the table and seated themselves. None of the Amazons had any paperwork or folders with them. Once seated, they looked to the door, which was closed the moment they entered the room.

  The door opened one more time, and a green Amazon who was taller and older than the others entered the room. The seated Amazons stood up when she entered, and the rest of the conference attendees took the hint and did likewise.

  The Amazon Grand Dame seated herself at the head of the table and motioned for everyone else to sit. There was the soft sound of many chairs shoved under the table.

  She didn’t say anything for a while. The head Amazon held a file folder with her and shuffled through some papers. When she found what she wanted, she handed several sheets to the women on each side of her.

  Witnesses to the event would later compare it to some court held on a distant world with a monarchy. They were all in the court of the emerald queen. No one really knew what to do or say, but none of the attendees wanted to risk an error and say something wrong. The smell of tension was in the air.

  She continued to shuffle through the paperwork and kept the attendees waiting. A few of the people earned a look of anger from her when they coughed. This was not going to be a discussion of any type. This would be a list of commands.

  Finally, the Amazon matriarch began the meeting by slamming her massive fist down on the table. Cups of coffee and water spilled, which prompted many hands with napkins to clean them up.

  She stood up halfway with her hands on the desk and glared at the audience. “Who is responsible for this fuck-up?" she roared. Her voice was deep and resonated through the room.

  Everyone shuddered. They all knew who she was, although no one would admit it.

  “You let that goddamn starship Byzantium get away!” she continued to yell, her eyes flashing green. One manicured finger pointed in the direction of the Irunian military delegation.

  “One fugitive and his fucking girlfriends walked off with that ship, and you did nothing to stop them!” she yelled again. “I should have the lot of you executed for dereliction of duty! You’ve grown weak from beating up farmers over tax revenue! Maybe it’s time I have the local staff sent to a planet where the people don’t care much for Irunian authority. How would you all like that? I’m told the Slocum world is very nice this year. There were only six dozen troopers killed in a grenade attack last week. I’m sure you’ll find it a great vacation spot!”

  “But, General,” one of the Irunian officers attempted, “the task force had it cordoned off when the starship made an unexpected run! We were told not to damage the ship.”

  “Your boys caught up with it later!” she screamed. "In record time. And it still escaped!”

  “They found a way to activate the hyper-drive!” another officer protested.

  “Which you were supposed to prevent from happening! That Angelika girl took up with that clod Stefan and his women? How could you have been so stupid?”

  “No one even knew who she was,” a voice spoke from the militia side of the table. “Had your finest told us why she was wanted, this situation would never have come about.”

  “Not your concern!” the Amazon snapped at him as she sat back down.

  “I wanted you all here so that I could see the assholes who made this mess,” she thundered. “The goddamn empress was on the phone with me last night. I had to assure her everything was proceeding according to plan. I had to lie to the empress! I don’t like it when I’m forced to tell falsehoods. I don’t like it when the brawn and the brains can’t pull off a simple operation. I should have the lot of you court martialed!”

  She sat there and fumed at them. Finally, one of the senior officers from the Irunian military raised his hand again.

  “What?" the green Amazon snapped at him.

  “General, I would like to point out that we don’t know how the Byzantium vanished,” he mentioned. “We assume it used the hyper-drive that was supposedly built into its system. But, as it’s been pointed out already, the Angelika woman was only known to have access to advanced technology. We don’t know if she brought it with her into that starship.”

  “Would you get to the point?” the green woman demanded. “I have to make a phone call this afternoon to the empress. She’s going to demand more answers, and I don’t want to feed her more lies. That’s the fastest way to get sent a revolver with one bullet.”

  A shudder went through the room. It was common for a military official who messed up a mission to take his or her own life later. In fact, the empress wasn’t above sending a disgraced officer a gentle reminder, by way of a loaded gun, to do everyone a favor.

  “What I want to say,” he continued, “is that the ship could’ve been destroyed by the missiles. They were close enough in range, although the blast generated was supposed to create gamma rays. If close enough, the Byzantium might’ve been vaporized. Space is big, and it’s not easy to find evidence of what happened after a multi-nuclear explosion. Or perhaps there was a wormhole out there we didn’t know about. Either possibility could be presented to Her Imperial Majesty.” He folded his hands on the table.

  The Amazon stared at him for a full 30 seconds. “Out of here!” she screamed in his direction. “All of you with the military! I want you out of my sight! I’ll decide what to do with you later!”

  The entire rear section of the table got up and filed out of the conference room as quietly as they could. The green Amazon sat with her arms crossed in front of her and fumed until they were all gone. It wasn’t until the last one left, and closed the door behind him, that she seemed to relax.

  Suddenly, a thought seemed to come to her. “Where the hell is that fucking Boss Korth?” she demanded as she looked at the trades section of the conference table. “Why isn’t his horned head in this room?”

  “Uh, General, ma’am," one of the syndicate men spoke, “I meant to tell you about that....”

  “Yes?” the Amazon general snapped again. By now, her staff was calm and sat stiff-necked at their places. It was obvious that today wasn’t unusual for them.

  “Did you have something to say?” she demanded.

  “About Korth,” the syndicate leader spoke, his words pronounced with great care. “He disappeared after the firefight with your boys down by the docks. We haven’t seen him, his goons, or any of the men with him since that whole thing erupted the other day. Honestly, we’ve tried to find him, but he’s keeping himself scarce.” The water cup he held shook visibly.

  “So, what you’re telling me,” the Amazon spoke slow and with great care, “is that the one connection we have down on the docks to the man who took off with that starship is gone? You mean none of you can find the only member of his race on this miserable hunk of rock?”

  “General?” a voice called out from the opposite side of the table. It was a captain of the Nyx Militia. He’d been around a long time.

  “Yes?" she turned her attention to him. “What excuse do you have? Aren’t you the ones who are supposed to keep order down in these disgusting levels?”

  “W
e’ve searched the remains of the battle and couldn’t find a thing,” he answered. “Or we tried to, before your troops appeared. I’ve got my people out on the street asking around, but this asteroid has a million places he could hide if he wants to keep out of sight. We’ve even posted reward notices for any information, but, so far, nothing’s come up. But with the money your people are pushing around and our contacts, we’ll have him soon enough. You need to give us time.”

  “Time?" she asked. “You want more time when that ship is so crucial to the empire? Don’t you realize I was pulled away from a hot zone on Steelhause just to deal with this mess? The longer I’m here with my staff, the more of Her Majesty’s men will die on that miserable planet. A planet, I would like to remind you, that is far more important to her than this chunk of iron ore.”

  “We’re working on it," the militia officer reiterated.

  “Useless," she said to the table. "All of you are a waste of time. Now, get the hell out of my sight! All of you!"

  At the exact same time, another meeting took place not far away on the same lower level. It was not known to most of the inhabitants of Nyx Station. The location was known only to a select group of Nyx movers and shakers, those who made the lower levels function. It was a place that many of the locals heard about, a place that was supposed to be the stuff of legends. It was the Cave of Justice, where affairs were handled that the local mobsters, business leaders, and guilds didn’t want to reach the upper levels. It was a place where agreements were sealed in blood and sentences were passed on interlopers. And, right then, it was the scene of a rare conference.

  Only three times in recent memory had a meeting of this caliber taken place. There was the incident of Signus, when a doomsday cult tried to establish itself near the docks. There were the territorial judgements, when the expansion of the docks created interest conflicts between the guilds and the syndicates. And finally, there was the time a decision was made to eliminate an investigator from the surface who was a bit too close to discovering how the power was really distributed on the lower levels.