Bubbles fizzled on the murky surface as putrid greenish slime oozed from this world’s poor excuse for trees. The horrid things were thin, misshapen, with spindly arms reaching out as if to snatch any stray animal that might come within reach.

As if the swamp was not enough, the sky had ripped open, spewing down icy rain upon him. His clothes were soaked and he wished he’d thought of wearing his spacesuit. Humans needed no help to breathe the air here, but it would have protected him against this assault.

A muddy path wound its way through the bogs and he was very careful not to step off—he’d been warned against that. There were dangers here, the villagers had told him, and he had no trouble believing it.

Why anyone would choose to live on Limqura was beyond him. Then again, his target was probably in hiding—it had been hard enough to track him down.

Juden swore as he swatted at the bugs buzzing around him. He’d been bitten a dozen times already and hoped the capsules he’d swallowed would be enough to block poison and diseases. The repellent disk they’d sold him certainly did not seem to be doing its job. He’d need to have a word or two with that old man and his daughter... assuming he made it out of this in one piece.

He grunted as he put the thought aside. That line of thinking would do him no good. He needed to stay focused. He had a job to do and the quicker he did it, the sooner he’d get off this damned rock.

When he finally spotted the house, he paused. It was a peculiar sight. Such a modern, state-of-the-art structure in the middle of this quagmire. A two-story building, its smooth white walls shining despite the lack of sun, as if they emitted their own light—which they likely did. There were no windows—unless you called windows those thin slits spread irregularly across the surface. He suspected cameras were hidden within.

He lifted his arm and tapped on his wristpad a couple of times. After reading the text scrolling on the screen, he nodded with satisfaction, hit the ‘initialize’ option, and resumed his walk.

It only took a few minutes to reach the door. Aside from the slits, it was the only apparent feature on the structure’s walls. He reached out and pressed his palm against the calling plate. It lit up, signaling that his presence had been recorded and those inside notified.

Juden waited in the rain, swatting at the bugs that still swarmed around him.

What if he’s not home? he worried. I really hope I didn’t go through all this for nothing. And I don’t care to do any of it a—

The door slid open, and a woman stood there staring at him.

“How may I help you, sir? Are you lost?”

“I am here to speak with Mr. na’Venh. Is he home?”

There was no surprise on the woman’s face—nor sign of any other emotion for that matter.

“He is,” she said. “Who should I announce?”

Well, this is it. No turning back now. Have to see this through, one way or another. If only so I don’t have to come back to this dreadful place ever again.

“Tell him Thiari sent me.”

The woman remained quiet for a moment, staring at him blankly.

“Very well,” she said, just as he was about to ask if she’d heard him. “My master will receive you. Please follow me.”

She turned and headed down the hall. He hurried inside, glad to be out of the rain.

It’s as if she spoke to him from here. Could be an android.

The walls inside were like the walls outside. Smooth, white, shining—though they lacked the slits. It was warm, too. Warm enough that within seconds his hair and clothes had dried. Occasionally, they’d walk past a door, but the woman kept going until they reached a large opening and stepped in.

A low table to the left, with four couches around it; a bar to the right, with stools and chairs; a Tri-Vid screen hanging from the ceiling, with some obscure holofilm playing with the sound turned off. The colorful carpets and tapestries gave this room a warmer feel than the other parts of the house Juden had seen so far.

Behind the bar, a man waved.

“Hello! Please, come over. Have a seat. Make yourself comfortable.” He glanced at the woman. “Thank you, Tasha. You can go back to your tasks now.” The servant bowed her head before turning and leaving. “Now, what would you like to drink?”

Juden looked over his shoulder as he walked over to the bar.

“Is she...”

“An android?” The man chuckled. “That’s not a dirty word around here, mister...?”

“Name’s Juden.”

“Just Juden?”

He shrugged. “That’s all that matters.”

“As you wish. You haven’t told me what you want to drink.”

“Zestri with lemon, if you have it.”

“If I have it?” His host laughed. “It’s the most popular drink in the Imperium and you think I wouldn’t have it? Come now!” He pulled out some glasses and a bottle as he spoke. “And to answer your question, no, she’s not. At least, not exactly. Her body was made in those days, when such technology was not yet frowned upon. She served as an android until she was decommissioned, along with so many of her kind, when the government decided such machines were too dangerous. I acquired her husk a few years ago, and she is now connected to the house.”

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“You mean your AI operates her?”

The man finished pouring the drinks and slid one of the glasses before his guest. He placed the other in front of the stool next to Juden, then walked around the bar to sit there.

“That she does. Now, Tasha told me you’re a friend of Thiari’s? How is she? It’s been years since I’ve seen her...”

Juden stared into his glass, wondering how to proceed. Already things had not gone quite as expected.

“She is troubled, to be honest, Mr. na’Venh. She—”

“Please! If I’m to call you Juden, you should call me Ansell. It’s only fair.”

“As you wish, Ansell.”

“Now, you were saying she is troubled? Anything I can help with?”

Juden took a sip from his drink.

“Yes. Some things from the past have come back to haunt her.”

“Oh? What things?”

“I do not know the details,” he said as he turned to look at his host. “But I believe you do.”

The man blinked, looking at him with confusion, until his eyes went wide and his face paled.

“You don’t mean—”

Juden lifted a hand. “Like I said, I don’t know the details, nor do I care to know. It is none of my business. And I suspect Thiari would not want me to know. In fact, I am certain of it, considering...” He trailed off as he frowned and took another sip.

“Yes?”

He glanced at Ansell. “You were about to tell me, weren’t you?”

“I don’t understand...”

“Who have you told about it?”

“What?”

“How many people?”

Juden gripped his glass for a moment, his knuckles turning white. He wondered if it would break, but it did not.

When he glanced at his host again, he saw the man was shaking his head.

“We swore never to tell a soul, and I have held my promise.”

“You have?”

“Of course!”

“Then we have a problem, Mr. na’Venh.” He set the glass back down on the bar and turned on his stool to face the other man. “Because we both know you are lying. At least two people learned of this secret, and both of them used it to blackmail Thiari. There is only one person who could have told them—and I am looking at that person right now.”

“This is ridiculous!” The man jumped out of his chair. “I’m sorry to hear what’s happened to Thiari, but I would never have betrayed her trust. She is my friend! How dare you make such accusations? I think you had better leave now.”

“A friend you haven’t seen in, what? Ten years? Fifteen? So many things can happen in so many years, don’t you think?”

“Do I need to have Tasha kick you out?”

“I am not going anywhere, Mr. na’Venh. Not until we’ve cleared this up. Look, Thiari is willing to let bygones be bygones. She doesn’t even care to know your reasons. All she wants are the names of those you told.”

“My reasons for something I did not do? That is rich. Ah, Tasha! There you are. This gentleman has overstayed his welcome. Please show him the door.”

The android that was not an android marched straight toward Juden. The mercenary did not move, his eyes still set on Ansell.

“I think you misunderstand the gravity of the situation, Mr. na’Venh. I will get those names from you, one way or another. I’d rather you volunteered them, but if not...”

“Threatening me under my roof? You have some gall!”

Tasha reached out to grab Juden’s arm, but her arm stopped a few inches from his sleeve. Her fingers twitched. She turned her head to look at Ansell.

“I cannot touch him, master.”

“What?”

“Some sort of shield is blocking my grip.”

Juden smiled. “Like I said, I am not going anywhere. Not until I get those names.”

“I haven’t told anyone!”

“Perhaps not on purpose, but you did tell at least two. One of them was Adam Bregg. Does the name ring a bell?”

“Shall I call the Imperial troops, master?”

Ansell lifted a hand. “Not just yet. Give us a moment, but please monitor the conversation in case this man tries anything funny.”

“As you wish.”

The woman turned and left the room.

“Bregg, you say?”

“So you do know the name.”

“Yes, but it makes no sense. Why would he blackmail Thiari?”

“That is not the issue, Mr. na’Venh. Can we stay focused? Why did you tell this man your secret?”

“I didn’t,” said Ansell as he sat back down, shaking his head. “That’s the thing. I don’t understand how he could have found out.”

Juden was torn. According to Thiari this man was the only one who knew of their secret, yet he sounded sincere. Could she be wrong? Could there be someone else? On the other hand, he admitted to knowing Bregg, that couldn’t be a coincidence.

“What did you tell him then?”

“Nothing.”

Juden frowned. “What?”

The other threw his hands in the air. “We met only briefly at some event. He was in the military, that’s all I remember. We only exchanged a few words. Small talk.”

“Could he have overheard you telling someone else?”

Ansell crossed his arms, glaring. “I haven’t told anyone. How many times do I need to tell you?”

“And this was the only time you met Bregg?”

“Yes.”

“Who else was at this event?”

“It was a decade ago! How do you expect me to remember? There were many people anyway. Mostly politicians.”

“Politicians?”

“Ambassadors and their secretaries, governors, archmasters—”

“This was on Gnorlia?”

“Yes.”

Juden pondered this for a moment.

“Did anything unusual happen during this event?”

“No. It was just filled with the usual boring diplomatic speeches. Although...” The man frowned.

“Yes?”

Ansell’s eyes widened. “It can’t be...”

“What?”

“There was a moment when I blacked out. I’d forgotten about that. It was only a few minutes. When my doctor checked up on me, he found nothing, and it never happened again, so I figured I must have just been tired. I hadn’t slept much the previous couple of nights. But no one could possibly have gotten this information from me while I was out, could they?”

“You can’t remember the people who were there, but you can remember you hadn’t slept enough?”

“I’ve been to many such events, and I always have trouble sleeping the nights before. I’d never blacked out like that, though.”

“I see. I need you to give me as much information as you can about this event. The date, the exact location, and whatever names you remember of people who attended.”

“And why would I do that? You’ve been rather rude. Doesn’t make me want to help you.”

Juden smiled. “Ah, but Mr. na’Venh, you are not helping me. You are helping your friend. Or do you not care that she is being blackmailed?”

The other man sighed and nodded. “Very well. I should be able to get you the date and location, at least. Those should be easy enough to dig up in my records. I’ll go look that up right now. Wait here.” He stood again and went for the door. He paused when he reached it and looked over his shoulder. “When you see her, tell Thiari she should have come to me herself. I’m disappointed she chose to send a thug instead. You don’t do that to a friend.”

Juden couldn’t argue with that, though it mattered little to him or his mission.

Half an hour later, he was back in the bogs, swatting bugs away from his face as he headed to the town where he had landed his ship.

The nanobots his wristpad had dropped on the glass would sink into the pores of Ansell’s skin as soon as he grabbed it. He’d be dead a few hours later, and it would look like a heart attack. The bots would dissolve in the victim’s bloodstream before anyone had time to look too closely.

Juden felt bad for the guy, but only a little. Even if Ansell had not ratted out his friend, he still knew things that could put Thiari at risk.

Better the man took that secret to the grave with him.