> Reports continue to pour in from Pratikaya of widespread, random attacks. Clan Nimor's prefectural officials have told us that the attackers appear to be under the influence of a heretofore unknown substance. At a press conference held in the last hour, officials stated that the clan's security teams are "making good progress" at containing the violence but they continued to advise all residents to seek shelter indoors and not to leave their homes. All civic activities have been postponed for today and security officials are enforcing a strict curfew until further notice.

>

> We asked the Chieftess's office for comment and were told that the royal defense forces are coordinating closely with Clan Nimor's officials to provide security assistance. We'll continue to keep our viewers updated as the situation unfolds. Reporting from Pratikaya, this is Katoshi Amaki for Inusagi CNS.

- Katoshi Amaki, Akushima correspondent

Inusagi InfoNews

----------------------------------------

41:03:30 GrS

----------------------------------------

Rawl trudged up the boarding ramp dragging the red-haired woman, the back of her combat harness clamped in his bulging, dull steel cyborg arm. Blood flowed from his organic ear down his stubbled cheek, making him look even more barbarous than usual. The front of his jacket was blasted and smoldering, the peculiar acrid smell of melted synthskin wafting around him.

The woman was half-conscious, uttering occasional groans. At the top of the ramp, Anais waited for him with an impatient look, feeling equal parts annoyance and disorientation. The cutter's hull and their shields had protected her from the worst effects of whatever kind of sonic weapon Agonis's bio-engineered muscle had triggered, but she still felt like a load of laundry tumbling through a spin cycle.

"Rawl," moaned the woman he was dragging. She tried to struggle but he struck her with a vicious backhand that snapped her head around.

"You know her?" Sykes demanded as he closed the ramp, keeping her lunch in her stomach with some serious effort of will.

He raised his hand to the smooth metal where the right side of his jaw should have been. The rattle in his respirator added even more malice to his voice. "Sera Brasheer."

"Is that name supposed to mean something to me?"

"She was at the ceraglass exchange on Enarc." Rawl's tone was curt, verging on insubordinate. "She did this to me, ten years ago!" He motioned toward his face and the other implants. "I told you if I saw her again I was going to repay her in kind!"

Sykes grabbed his shoulder. "I don't give one single damn about your revenge fantasies or what happened before I hired you, Rawl. You have one job to do, and it's not taking prisoners for your torture games! Zephyr is balanced on a knife. This—" she waggled the solid case— "Is our ticket to unimaginable wealth and power. If your petty squabbles mess with that, you'll be replacing a lot more than an arm and some organs!"

Rawl was in no mood for his employer's cajoling. "I'm taking what's mine, Sykes," he growled. "I'm not asking for your help or your permission."

Anais Sykes's eyes flashed but his deadly look made her pause. She spun and handed the case to the woman standing against the wall. "Secure this, Addison. When we get back to Ammon Night you're to take it to Dr. Rassnugen so that he can begin full-scale production."

"Yes ma'am," acknowledged the pilot.

"Call ahead. I want the Ammon Night in hyperspace five minutes after we board."

"Destination, Miss Sykes?"

"Where else?" she snapped. "Our facility at Kaliida Shoals."

"Yes ma'am," acknowledged Addison and headed for the cockpit, her long hair swishing.

Sykes aimed a glare at Rawl and stabbed a stiff finger. "Your past is your problem, Zorath. Don't make it mine." Then she took her seat in the passenger cabin, tapping her vambrace. The battery was nearly dead, and she didn't want to be anywhere near the Sith when her interference field failed.

----------------------------------------

"Lyra!" Rei's voice was urgent and upset over the comm.

"What is it, Reiko?"

"There's a small ship leaving the park where Sera and Taz went, running hard for orbit. I got a return signal from Sera-sha's comm but I can't reach either of them!"

Don't panic, Lyra, she told herself as the cold trickle down her back became a rushing river. "It's Rendix and Oktos; they'll be alright, Rei." She hoped it sounded more convincing to the engineer than it did in her own ears. "Any other readings from the site?"

After a second, Reiko said, "Nothing visual yet, but there are some energy signatures. Could be reactors powering up. I only got a momentary signal when the other ship left."

She turned to Seelam. "Status on our Etas?"

"The pilots have just arrived, my lady. Flight crews are making the fighters ready to launch."

"Tell them to hurry." She tapped her comm. "Rei, send the sensor data to Seelam and keep tracking that ship. We're heading back to you."

She looked at Raga, who was issuing orders to a squad of security troops. They dispersed except for the female trooper who'd been at the spaceport. She looked to be Lyra's age, outfitted in combat fatigues and a vest full of equipment. She wore a shuten-sho, a shorter version of the sword Raga carried, and gripped a blaster carbine with the same elegant design as Shin's pistol.

"Uncle Shin, what's the situation?"

"We are running a final sweep but we believe the spaceport has been cleared of hostiles, Lady Lyra."

"Good." She gave him Reiko's latest report. "I'm going to follow them, Uncle. Taz and Sera might be on that ship."

"And if they're on the one that remains, or dead?" His eyes were flinty and grim, though his face softened when he said it.

"I—" She shook her head. "They survived the war for years. Until I know otherwise, I'm going to believe in them. As for the other ship, do we have anything for containment? Conner nets or tractor beams?"

"Only the royal military would have such equipment, I regret to say."

"Have you tried contacting them?"

"Yes, my lady. They've promised reinforcements, but..." he looked uncomfortable. "The Rakasendha isn't known for its alacrity."

Lyra screwed up her mouth. "Well, can we at least get some troops over there to keep an eye on it?"

Raga gave her a deep nod, issued orders into his comlink, then tucked it into his sash and indicated the trooper with him. "This is Eshna. She will accompany us."

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

"You're coming?"

"I will see to your safety and aid in the recovery of our honored guests."

"Thank you, Uncle Shin," Lyra said with an earnest look.

"Greetings, Lady Lyra." Eshna saluted her. "Senguru Raga informs me that you served in the Imperial forces. I'm at your service, my lady."

Lyra shook her hand. "I'm sorry we're meeting under these circumstances, Eshna." She turned to the footman. "Staying here?"

"I will accompany you, my lady, as is my duty."

"Alright. Let's get to my ship."

----------------------------------------

It took tremendous effort for Taz to open his eyes. A proton bomb exploded in his head and waves of dizziness from his disrupted vestibular system made him want to vomit. After the pain, there were long confused seconds before he remembered what had happened.

"Damn sonics," he groaned. Years ago at Arclight, all of the Razorclaw recruits got stunned as part of their basic military training. Taz hated it then, but a normal stunner was nothing compared to the agony induced by a sonic disruptor.

A cold, hard metal frame immobilized his splayed limbs. The square tubing jabbed into his back between his shoulder blades. A sharp-edged band bit into his head, cutting him when he tried to move. The air felt cool and humid, and each breath filled his nostrils with the sharp tang of chemicals that had a distinctly pharmaceutical character.

As his eyes adjusted to the harsh light and the hammering in his head receded by a few imagined decibels, Taz realized two things; the nauseating call through the Force had nearly disappeared, and he wasn't the only prisoner. More than a dozen of the frames formed a rough perimeter. In the middle was a bulky mechanism that sent humming oscillations through the floor. A high-pitched, quiet sound, nearly beyond hearing range, seemed to be all around him. When he looked hard Taz could see the telltale glimmer of a biocontainment field. Beyond it he glimpsed objects hanging from the ceiling like bulbous membranes, pulsing with a sickly light. Huge shadowy shapes moved inside, some twitching, some thrashing. Hulking humanoid forms plodded around the space as well, like the ones they'd encountered in the hangar. Sera was nowhere to be seen.

He started to slip into the Force when he realized he was hearing something else. The heavy air was filled with thin whines and whimpers, the sounds of despair, terror, and sadness. Focusing his eyes, he saw that all the other frames were occupied by pale, diminutive humanoids. Looks like I found the Rayeths.

He pushed a mental probe into the Force, confirming what his other senses told him; the Rayeths were in pain and under severe mental stress. Their presences felt different than Gan's and Vindkii's. A sinking feeling filled his stomach. He could feel their fatigue and the sense that something was being taken from them. As his perceptions sharpened, so did his understanding. They were being drained of something essential, and it was killing them.

He jerked against the metallic bands around his wrists but that just earned him nasty gouges. Taz sucked in a painful yelp and forced himself to relax. There had to be a locking mechanism. If he could find it, maybe he could free himself like he'd done when they were detained at Rho-277.

Taz caught an instant of movement at the periphery of his vision. A second later a quadripedal droid appeared. It had a cylindrical body, spindly torso, and a pair of beefy-looking arms on a skeletal pectoral armature. The droid's feet made a skittering sound as it approached, then leaned down and regarded Taz with a pair of compound photoreceptors on a thin, triangular face. "Our guest has awakened, I see."

Taz felt like he was being eyed by a monstrous mechanical mantis. "Where am I?"

"Where my master wishes you to be." The droid's voice had a soothing, sycophantic quality to it.

"Not much of an answer," he quipped. "Why did you take me? Did you hurt anyone else? Where's the woman I came here with?"

"So many questions," answered the droid and imitated a tsking sound. "All will be made clear to you by my master, Tazbarada Oktos."

He tried a different tack. "Who's your master?"

"Lord Agonis, of course."

"Great. I want to talk to him."

"My master is most eager to speak with you as well. Be at ease; he will grace you with his attention in due time."

"Grace me, huh? Can't wait," Taz drawled. He glanced at the Rayeths. "What are you doing to them?"

"They are guests of my master."

"Torturing guests doesn't seem very courteous."

"They're being encouraged, not tortured."

"They're being killed," Taz scoffed. "Why did you take me?" he tried again. The nausea and dizziness faded to an uncomfortable feeling in his stomach, joining the uncertainty already residing there. He was starting to feel angry, too.

The droid's feet skittered on the metal deck as it twisted away from him and bent itself into an obsequious bow. At the same instant, Taz felt another presence. He had the sense that it was quite old, and powerful as well. But just beneath that he felt a churning, roiling sense of corruption and decay that seemed to gnaw at the very root of the universe. The feeling made his skin crawl and he recoiled reflexively.

Straining to look left, he saw a tall humanoid stride through a mechanized arch and stand before him. He recognized the man from Brondvin's recording . He was lanky and bald, with bone spurs protruding beneath his reddish skin and two short, conspicuous tentacles dangling from his face like the ends of a weird, fleshy mustache. His dark body armor and flowing azure robe radiated power and sophistication. It was not at all the image he'd imagined, having touched the festering waves of putrescence that emanated from him.

"You're Agonis?"

The Sith dealt Taz a hard blow across his face that staggered him. Taz sputtered blood. The man was stronger than he looked.

The droid piled on the abuse, jamming its sharp fingers against his rib with an agonizing electrical shock. He screamed, making the metal band cut into his forehead. "Enough of your insolence, Human! You will address him as 'My Master', or 'Lord Agonis' from this moment forward!"

Defiance flared in Taz. The Rebel in him wanted to smash the droid and the creature standing before him. The sinister voice at the back of his head whispered seductive encouragement, too. Taz forced himself to relax, though. Defiance would feel good, but it was short-sighted and it'd probably just earn him more punishment. Until he could learn more about his situation, he decided to play along.

"I beg forgiveness, Lord Agonis." He cast his eyes downward and tried not to sound too fawning.

"Hmm, yes, better. Welcome aboard the Misery, Tazbarada Oktos," said the Sith in a silky voice, full of shadows. He bent at the waist with a mocking flourish of a greeting. His glowing eyes were wary but he looked mostly satisfied with Taz's response.

"Would you indulge me with an explanation of why I'm here... my master?"

"Ah, excellent, young Oktos, most excellent. You are here to assist me with my work."

Taz gazed toward the suffering Rayeths. When the tears from the droid's shock subsided, he could see clear cannulae descending from the base of each Rayeth's skull. A pinkish fluid dribbled slowly into a complicated mechanism of tubes, filters, and pumps. "Your work involves the Rayeths, my lord?"

"Indeed."

"What are you doing to them?"

"A man who has the use of the Force, even with such crude a grasp as yours, should discern that much."

No easy answers, I guess. Taz reached out, sharpening his perception through the Force. Concentrating on one of the poor creatures, he probed for long seconds, trying to use the same senses as he did when he was examining a patient. After a while he returned his focus to his alien captor. "That endocranial fluid, it carries..." Taz's eyes widened.

"The essence of their psyches," Agonis finished for him. "A fascinating adaptation, unique amongst the thousands of species I have studied."

"Thousands, my lord?" Taz quizzed cautiously.

"The accumulated wisdom of nearly eight hundred years, young Oktos."

"That's... incredible," he said, though he thought it must be mere boasting. He'd never heard of any humanoid species with such longevity.

Agonis frowned, making his tentacles twitch. "You think I deceive, do you, youngling?" The insectoid droid raised an arm to jab him again with its shock probes.

"No, my master," he blurted hastily. He didn't need any more of the excruciating electricity. Taz could feel the certainty in the man, the lack of guile, at least on that point. And there was a sense of great age within the Force. "You must be powerful indeed, and very skilled, to have lived so long."

"Many Sith have sought the secrets of immortality, young Oktos. Some few have even managed the feat through instrumentality or arcane means." He whirled his fingers through the air. "Those with the proper mastery of Sith science may extend their lives indefinitely through the Force. Yet the Force reveals its deepest secrets, grants its most precious wisdom to only the most deserving."

"I'm sure you're most deserving, my master," Taz intoned. As long as Agonis kept talking, especially about himself, the mental probes he was using against Taz seemed to lose some of their focus and potency. Still, he knew Agonis was powerful and exceptionally dangerous. He'd have to guard his thoughts somehow. Master Jorun had spoken of techniques to resist such coercion, but Taz had only skimmed those parts of the ancient Jedi's journal. Should've paid more attention.

He tried another question. "Does the fluid you're harvesting from the Rayeths have any connection to immortality, my lord?"

Agonis looked disappointed. "Perhaps my expectations of your intellect were overwrought, young Oktos." His right tentacle swayed in a vague way that nevertheless seemed to reinforce his downturned mouth.

"I'm a mere medtech, Lord Agonis, and inexperienced in my youth, as you know," Taz uttered with as much demure sincerity as he could put into his voice.

The answer seemed to placate the lean, ruddy Sith. "Mmm, yes. Nothing but a technician, lacking insight and the wisdom that age brings, even to a species as limited as humanity." He pursed his thin lips. "Yet I have sensed in you the power to heal, even to restore the vitality of others."

And just like that, everything made sense to Taz.