Galaxy's Game

by Gareth D Jones

Part III: A House of Cards

Chapter 1: Mission Revenge

The True As An Arrow soared away from Zyg and slipped smoothly into hyperspace on course for Sosh II. As we had feared, Kroze Yadonir, the last surviving colonist, had died soon after we had found him. Anok tracked down the comm system and I recorded a message detailing our findings and our destination. The colony's supply ship from Earth was due within a few days and would pass on the details to the authorities.

We sat in grim silence, thinking of the terrible loss of life we had witnessed. I had a rough plan. Travel to Sosh II, track down Kralo Zur, take on his Kropask guards, bring him to justice. It was a bit of a shaky plan, with not much of a foundation. In fact it was about as solid as a house of cards, and just as likely to collapse. But I had no choice.

Hanlo would have to wait on Earth where TGT would take care of him. Nirf and I had worked and travelled together for so long that I knew he was just as determined as I was to follow through on our promise. The same sense of justice that had driven Jereane to become a leader of the Balan VIII opposition now compelled her to join our mission. I had offered to drop her off at Duterr, the nearest inhabited planet and coincidentally where the HQ of Galactic Security Services is located. It would take us out of our way, but it was the least I could do. She had refused my offer and now lay dozing lightly in the reclined co-pilot's chair. Anok, of course, was a droid and didn't have any choice in the matter. The nine-hour journey to Sosh II was over very quickly, and once more we were descending to another new world.

*

The approach to Sosh II is unlike that of any other planet I have visited. There are no large freighters parked in orbit, and no orbiting control stations. The landing field held plenty of spacecraft, but almost all of them small, private craft. Sosh II carries out very little in the way of interplanetary trade and is also the only planet in the sector that hasn't signed up to any of the interplanetary protocols. That means that not only does it have no affiliation with GalPol, which you may have guessed, but also doesn't fall under the jurisdiction of the Interplanetary Court of Justice or the Bureau of Interplanetary Protocols. The resulting lack of adherence to any of the standards set by the other planets makes Sosh II a haven for all kinds of fugitives, smugglers and other criminals, as well as a popular tourist destination. It's also the reason that Kralo Zur had his base there.

We left our ship and hailed a passing trundle truck to take us across the landing field. There's not much of a port on Sosh II, as they're not too worried about keeping an eye on who comes and goes. We chugged past a couple of low administration buildings that were surrounding by ponds of murky water, while I looked for a glimpse of the locals. We saw one, perched on the edge of a roof and gazing off into the distance. The Rabzid are the only amphibious race that I know of, which perhaps explains their isolation from the rest of the sector's races. They don't seem at all interested in the rest of the galaxy. I'm fairly confident that you will never meet one, and indeed that brief glimpse was the first time I had ever come across them. At about a metre in height they resemble an upright newt. They are able to leap several times their own height and length and in addition have flaps of skin beneath their arms that allow them to glide for several more metres. That first one was a dull brown colour and dressed in duller brown shorts. The few others we saw varied in shades of brown and green.

The truck dropped us off at a transit station on the edge of the landing field near the outskirts of the town. The only other forms of transport we could see where small hovapeds and dilapidated auto-rickshaws. We weren't in a hurry to get anywhere quickly as we didn't really know where to start, so we wandered into the bazaar that is every visitor's introduction to the City of Pools.

Like the rest of the town, and true to its name, the bazaar in the City of Pools is built around numerous pools of varying shapes and sizes. Some were murky, others clear, some with fountains or other water features, some full of reeds and other aquatic plants. I presume all Rabzid towns are the same. There were hardly any Rabzid in sight, though. No single species dominated, but it seemed that every planet in the sector was represented among the crowds that thronged the bazaar. As you already know, I've been to lots of planets, but the variety astonished even me. All of the usual suspects that you've probably come across were there: human, Coraylian, Blumen, Antovian, Gremen, Brogian, Zurspo. It didn't stop there, though. The people were tall, short, fat, thin, bipedal, multi-legged, furry, scaly or slimy. The noise of buying and selling was carried on in numerous languages, with yelling, bartering, swearing and people calling out their wares. We were particularly on the lookout for Kropasks, known to work for Kralo Zur, but they were one of the few races we didn't see as we made our way along the crowded streets. Maybe they don't like shopping.

By this time we had been travelling for quite some time and I was feeling grubby, so we ducked into a small shop that sold human shaped clothes, to look for something fresh to wear. The proprietor was a cheerful Juddor who bustled around the clothing racks to offer us a selection of just about everything in his shop. I decided I probably wouldn't take his fashion advice, translated for us by Anok, when I saw his bright yellow and pink suit that clashed terribly with his orange skin. I've always thought that Juddor are just orange humanoids, but while talking to him I noticed that they have no visible ears. He grinned encouragingly at us while we browsed, revealing a single white ridge rather than individual teeth.

Jereane disappeared off into the changing rooms while I was still deciding between a black T-shirt and a dark blue one. Half of the shop was stocked with denim jeans, so there was not much dilemma there. Jeans are another great export of Earth, along with cheese sandwiches and tea. Many people in the bazaar were wearing them, from one-metre-tall Zolk to three-meter Paralli and even a Blucti with its four tentacular legs. Eventually I opted for the blue T-shirt, and with a new pair of jeans and my trusty utility jacket with its myriad pockets, I felt ready to tackle a galactic criminal. Jereane also came out in a pair of jeans with denim jacket and khaki sweater. Nirf had grown totally bored and floated off to hover outside and observe the crowd.

"Let's head into town," I said, satisfied with my appearance.

Progress was slow. A Brogian street vendor tried to interest Jereane in a selection of jewellery, and a Gilamane offered us some dubious-looking herbs, his crocodilian teeth glistening in the sun as he smiled broadly at us. I have nothing against Gilamanes, but I think most humans have a natural aversion to trusting someone who looks like a crocodile whose jaws might just snap shut on you at any moment. A bit further on we stopped to watch a Coraylian juggler who was able to keep a dozen assorted pieces of fruit in the air with his four astonishingly fast arms. While we watched, I caught a Gosp attempting to pick my pockets. Gosps make very good pickpockets because they look so innocent. At just below my shoulder height they look like grey fluffy teddy bears, though not one that you would want to cuddle, with the sharp spikes that cover their torso. When she realised that I wasn't fooled by the innocent smile she disappeared swiftly into the crowd.

Along the way we managed to identify some fruit that was edible and munched on it as the crowd thinned out towards the edge of the bazaar. It tasted like sweet broad beans. A few temporary stalls dotted the block-paved square that led up to an ornate fountain carved in the shape of a peculiar fish. I flinched as a ball of yellow fur flew over my head and landed with a splash. It was a Faflox, less than a metre across, with a dozen stick-like appendages waving wildly about. I didn't think Faflox could fly, and the explanation came when a Paralli ran up seconds later and launched it into the air again. This time it recovered itself more quickly and rolled off madly down the street with the Paralli in pursuit. I wouldn't say this to them, but Paralli always make me smile. Three metres tall, huge muscular build, a pair of sharp horns on their head, but luminous pink in colour. It's like a half-hearted attempt to make them look cute.

Despite their huge size, the Paralli's reputation is nowhere near as bad as the Kropasks. This thought sobered my mood as we skirted the fountain and made our way onto the broad street beyond. We were now entering the City of Pools itself, and the air hung damply about us, the smell of wet vegetation wafting about in the breeze. Somewhere within we would find Kralo Zur and his Kropasks. When we did, Kroze Yadonir and all of the colonists on Zyg would be revenged.

Chapter 2: A Little Trouble

It was soon after mid-day when we landed on Sosh II, and we spent the whole afternoon wandering the streets of the City of Pools. We looked for Kropasks, we chatted to any humans we met, subtly trying to gain any information about Kralo Zur without drawing attention to ourselves, and we listened to street vendors for clues as to his whereabouts. The evening was drawing on and the streets were beginning to grow dark with shadow, and we still had no leads.

"I don't think we should stay out on the streets after dark," Jereane said, looking about at the rough characters that wandered around us.

"Me neither," Nirf agreed. We had not seen another Tsimkan anywhere, which was a shame, as Nirf was far more likely to get useful information from one of his own people than we were from anyone else. Tsimkan culture does not include dishonesty, so we could rely on any information Nirf obtained. For the same reason, we were very unlikely to find any Tsimkans in such a disreputable place.

We decided to find somewhere to eat where we could keep off the street for a while, and hopefully find somewhere to lodge for the night. There was always the True As An Arrow to go back to, but we were hoping for somewhere a little more spacious. Several cafés and bars that we wandered into proved unsuitable. Most catered to a limited number of species, or even just one, depending on how specialised their dietary and environmental requirements were. The area we were in didn't seem to cater to humans at all. One rather posh restaurant was filled with Antovians, and after our slimy noodle experience of several days earlier, we decided to give it a miss. Another rough-looking café had a mixture of Zolk, Rabzid and Vienturak, the three shortest humanoid species. I have no idea what their food is like, but neither Jereane or myself thought the very small chairs looked especially comfortable. Another bar was lined with Paralli who sat on bar stools as high as my head, and later we entered a tavern where Faflox sat in circular troughs and consumed something strange and malodorous. After we had emerged coughing from a Chilk bar where that most unhumanoid of races stood over bowls of something that billowed green smoke and sucked it in through ventricles on their legs, we finally listened to Jereane's suggestion and stopped someone to ask for directions. The rather nervous Coraylian that we approached gave us a vague indication as to the probable location of a human restaurant, and scuttled off before we could thank him.

We had apparently ended up in the wrong quarter of the city, so we made our weary way through a residential district, where all the doors looked too short, heading for an area closer to the bazaar where we had started the day. The buildings were three or four stories tall and made of dark red or brown stone. It was definitely getting dark now, and the only light came from small windows up at roof level. We glanced around nervously and Nirf scooted ahead of us to check around each corner before we approached it.

I was completely taken by surprise, therefore, when a weight landed on my back, knocking me to the ground. Small, smooth hands grabbed painfully at my face, and feet or knees dug into my back. I had the wind knocked out of me and was slow to respond, but Jereane quickly grabbed the Zolk off my back and shoved it away towards the gutter. Its dark red skin and all-black outfit, topped with a black skull cap on its diamond-shaped head, allowed it to almost disappear back into the shadows.

I climbed quickly to my feet in time for several more of them to come rushing out from concealment. We evidently looked like easy targets despite their short stature. I drew my stunner from an inner pocket, but one of the Zolks was too quick for me and launched itself at my arm, knocking my weapon away into the shadows and grabbing tight hold of me. I felt muscles strain painfully as its full weight swung round on my arm. Before I had chance to respond another had dived at my legs in an attempt to knock me back to the ground. It didn't succeed, but I found myself struggling to keep my balance while the two of them pushed and pulled.

To one side I could see another Zolk had succeeded in tackling Jereane to the ground and was now trying to pull off one of her ankle boots. It soon learned the error of its ways when a well-placed kick to the stomach sent it sprawling across the damp floor clutching its sides and trying to get its breath back.

Nirf flew over to me and wrapped several of his tentacles around the Zolk that was now clinging to my shoulders. I couldn't manage to shake the tenacious little chap off, but Nirf just had too many appendages for him to wriggle free of, and between us we managed to finally peel him off my head, and Nirf dragged him away. This allowed me to concentrate on the older-looking Zolk who was still trying to throw me off balance by head-butting the back of my knees. Trying to shake this one off proved just as difficult, and I quickly overbalanced. Unfortunately for the Zolk I landed right on top of him. I jumped back to my feet, but he lay where he had landed.

Nirf was still trying to shake the same assailant off who managed to cling on whereever he could to Nirf's tentacles. As I glanced up, another Zolk leaped from a nearby drainpipe and landed astride Nirf. I had to admire her athleticism as she rode atop Nirf, ever so briefly, like a miniature Bronco rider. Nirf was having none of it and flew suddenly into the nearest wall. His rider hit the brickwork with a loud whack, and slid the two metres down into the gutter.

There was a sudden electrical bang from behind me, and I whirled to see Anok spread-eagled on the floor, white smoke drifting up from his midriff. Two surprised looking Zolk were sat on the floor a few feet either side of him, smoke rising from their clothing, and three others had just jumped back in surprise. One of them looked even more surprised when a shot from Jereane's stunner hit him in the leg, and he limped off as quickly as he could, dragging his dead leg behind. The other two ran off towards a nearby alley, narrowly avoiding more shots from Jereane.

"Are you okay?" Jereane asked, brushing herself down.

"Fine," I said, manfully ignoring several bruises.

"I'm not!" Nirf called from above. Several meters above us he was still trying to shake off the most determined of our would-be muggers. As a last resort he accelerated up toward the roof line, skimming over the eaves. The Zolk, dangling below, had no choice but to save herself from impacting the wall by letting go of Nirf and grabbing hold of the guttering. Nirf looped back down to us as his passenger clambered up on to the roof and disappeared.

"That told them," I said, looking round for my lost stunner. I spotted it laying over by the wall and wiped some mud off before putting it away. "Let's find somewhere more crowded." Anok climbed off the floor, fizzed a couple of times and followed us down the street, twitching occasionally.

We saw a few people walking past individually or in small groups, but the rest of our trip through the residential area was uneventful. The doors on the houses gradually grew bigger, and a few businesses, shops and pubs began to appear. The streets became more crowded again, this time with humans, Juddor, Blumen and other similar types. For the first time we also saw Gosgar, emerging into the dark now that the sun had set. Their matt-black skin makes them almost invisible when it's truly dark, but here they were dressed in baggy pantaloons and sleeveless tops of bright yellows and golds. Their shockingly large light-gathering eyes reflected the street lights and rippled with secondary reflections from nearby pools. Those eyes, along with their large, sensitive ears and the tufts of orange fur across their arms and shoulders that are sensitive to vibrations of the air, enable them to find their way in the pitch-dark better than we can in broad daylight.

It wasn't long before we saw a concentration of humans outside an inn with an old-fashioned sign hanging outside advertising it as 'The Slug's Lair, a Real Ale House'. The crowd out the front looked well-dressed and not too raucous, so we decided it was probably as good a choice as any, and better than most. Leaving Anok outside in the droid rack, we entered the cosy bar and were greeted by the smell of alcohol and roasting meat. It was a very good choice.

The barman, Glen, turned out to be a native of Scotland who had come to Sosh II on a gap year and ended up staying for three. He soon grew quite friendly when we told him that we had met a woman on Zrsectipar who had cousins living in Scotland. Or maybe he was just being friendly so that Jereane would stay at the bar and talk to him. In any case, I eventually managed to subtly throw the name Kralo Zur into the conversation. Glen went quiet and leaned further over the bar.

"He's a bit o' a mean one," he confided. "Runs the gamblin' over in the Green Quarter." He quickly scanned the crowd in a dramatically furtive kind of way. "They say he's a smuggler." We nodded eagerly.

"He's based in the Green Quarter then?" I asked. That was more information than we had gathered all day.

"Och, no. His office is up in the Kelp Quarter. Apparently."

"And where abouts is that?" Jereane asked. I decided to let her get on with it. Glen was barely paying me any attention. I went back to sipping my cider while the two of them chatted on for a while. Glen didn't actually give us any more information, and eventually was called away to serve a long line of waiting patrons.

"Looks like you've got him wrapped round your finger," I said nonchalantly.

Jereane raised an eyebrow in exasperation. "You're just jealous because I've found out more than you."

I shrugged and we went to eat our roast flarg that had just been brought out from the kitchen and was demanding our taste buds' attention.

Later, after mingling fruitlessly with the other diners and drinkers, we headed upstairs to get some sleep after what had turned into a very long day. Glen frowned unhappily at me as he handed over our room key, but it wasn't my fault that his inn was so popular. The only room left for us was ridiculously small and I had a strong suspicion that it had started life as a store room. There were a couple of hooks on the back of the door, one for each of our jackets. We could only take them off one at a time without accidentally punching each other, and had to queue to hang them up. There was a shared bathroom just down the hall, and lots of creaky floorboards along the way. By the time I lay down in the top bunk, my nose only centimetres from the ceiling, I vowed only to stay in hotels that claimed at least four stars in the future. It hardly mattered though; I slept like a log. A log from Earth that is, not one of those motile trees from Soarnellat.

Chapter 3: Big Trouble

The following morning was dull and grey outside and felt damp, even in our small room. I guess for an amphibious species it was perfect weather. We woke just in time to get some food before they stopped serving. There was no sign of Glen, but our fried breakfast was brought over by a tall, blonde-haired waitress who chatted and smiled in a friendly way as she laid the food out for us.

"Would you like me to ask her name for you?" Jereane asked when she had gone back to the kitchen.

"Her name?" I asked innocently.

"Well, you seemed to be getting on so well …"

"I'm just maintaining friendly relations with the locals," I protested. "Like you were with Glen."

"I was gathering useful information."

"Such as?"

The waitress re-appeared with cups of tea, saving Jereane from answering. I sipped the hot drink appreciatively and changed the subject.

"So, our search is narrowed to the Kelp Quarter."

"Correct," said Nirf. He wasn't eating, as usual. "From what I heard last night, that is the area most favoured by Kropasks."

"Oh, joy."

"Well, we handled the Zolks," Jereane pointed out, smiling. "I know Kropasks are a bit bigger, but I'm sure we'll be fine."

It wasn't long before we were on our way. Anok lurched out of its place in the droid rack outside and began following us up the road. It quickly became clear that whatever damage had been caused during the fracas with the Zolk was going to slow our progress. I stopped to consider for a moment. Anok's scanners and translators might come in useful, but if we were going to be slowed down significantly, then Anok's presence would just be a hindrance. In the end I decided to send it back to wait for us in the True As An Arrow. At least it wouldn't come to any more harm there. Anok turned round and marched off down the street.

Now that we had a definite destination in mind, we hailed a passing auto-rickshaw and told it to take us to the Kelp Quarter. The single bench seat of cracked plastic was decidedly uncomfortable and the suspension had seen better days. I envied Nirf who could skim above us in comfort while Jereane and I were jostled along, frequently bumping elbows. Our autopilot navigated its way through streets that grew narrower and older as we made our way into the Kelp Quarter, an area dominated by low, black buildings.

In this area of the city the pools were verdant with a variety of kelp and pond weed. Several ponds we passed were occupied by small groups of Rabzid who stood waist deep in the water, chatting amongst themselves and eating long strands of kelp that they scooped from the water around them. Our rickshaw came to a halt at the edge of a large open square that was divided into walkways by long, narrow, ornamental pools.

A knot of apprehension began to build in my stomach as I realised we were narrowing in on our target. I realised that it had been there all morning, but I had tried to ignore it or put it down to the huge breakfast I'd eaten. I stood and gazed around for a moment, wondering which of the dozen streets that left the square we should begin with.

"Over there, straight across," Nirf interrupted my musing. I looked where he had indicated, but could see nothing. A tentacle wrapped around my chin as Nirf came down to my level and turned my head slightly. Then I could see what had caught his attention. For the first time since landing on Sosh II, we could see Kropasks. Two of them. They were sauntering along the edge of the square, seemingly without a care in the world. They rounded a corner and disappeared from sight. The fact that I could make them out above the numerous passers-by between us and them only served to remind me of their size.

"We'll follow them," I decided, and led the way through the ponds. A few people in ones and twos were stood about admiring the attractive layout and pointing at small aquatic creatures that occasionally leaped above the surface of the water. All of that faded in to the background as I concentrated on my course.

By the time we arrived on the road where the two Kropasks had gone, there was no sign of them. It was a quaint little street, with small shops and cafés. Tables and chairs of differing sizes dotted the pavement, though these were empty of anyone save Rabzid and Gilamanes, who don't mind the damp. A few spots of rain began to fall as we walked.

The thing that usually makes Kropasks easy to find is that they are habitually noisy, and the next loud noise we heard was, indeed, a Kropask. With a yell of rage, a Kropask came hurtling out of a side street ahead of us, shaking his arms wildly as he ran. A couple of rickshaws and a small hovavan delivering beer blocked my view of what had made him so angry, but then a fleeing Gosp came into view. His arms were pumping madly and his little tubby legs were moving at an extraordinary rate as he dodged oncoming pedestrians and vanished from sight. I wondered if he had made the mistake of trying to pick the Kropask's pocket. I noticed as the Kropask flashed by that he seemed to be wearing a uniform. Black boots, black leather trousers and waistcoat. It lent his already imposing figure an added aura of menace.

We happened to have paused alongside a wrinkled old Zurspo woman who smiled nervously when I looked her way. I decided to use my 'helpless young man' routine that usually goes down well with old ladies of most species.

"He seemed very annoyed," I commented.

"Always are." She nodded, hissing slightly over the 's'.

"Are there many Kropask here?" I tried to sound slightly nervous, which wasn't very difficult. She nodded again.

"Them ones in black are worst," she hissed. "They work for that Zur."

I nodded knowingly.

"Is that near here?"

"You don't want to be going there, dear!" she exclaimed, and ambled off shaking her head.

"We need to look for more of them," Jereane said.

Round the corner where the Kropask had come from was a shop front with blacked out windows, and a very tall door. Too tall for most species. I decided to take a careful peek inside. The door swung open at my approach and I stepped cautiously over the threshold into a dimly lit room dominated by a low desk. Behind that sat a pair of Blucti. They waved their tentacular arms in greeting and their globular heads bobbed in unison as they warbled something that I presume was friendly. A slight smell of fish invaded my nose and clung to the back of my throat.

"Sorry, wrong door," I apologised, and backed out. I don't know why a pair of Blucti felt they needed such a huge door, but I could feel my stretched nerves slump back into place.

"I'll try in here," Nirf called from across the street, and floated into what looked like a pub. Within seconds there was a cacophony of deep-throated yells and rumbling laughter. I expected Nirf to come scooting back out again, but after a brief pause, during which Jereane and I looked at each other in alarm, there was no sign of him. We ran over, and I burst brashly through the door, still trying to swallow the fishy taste that seemed determined to stay with me.

Nirf was up in the corner of a tall wood-beamed room that was evidently a popular drinking spot for Kropasks. Several of them were wearing the black leather uniform of Zur's employees, but the others wore jeans and a variety of checked shirts. They were flinging empty bottles and handfuls of food at Nirf, while he dodged manically and tried to make his way back down to the door without being hit. The nearest drinkers decided I would make a great new target, and handfuls of nuts and dried fried snacks flew my way. The brief lull in missiles heading his way gave Nirf a chance to duck down to floor level and whiz past my feet.

"Run!" he ordered. I ran. So did the Kropasks.

"Run!" Nirf repeated as we rushed past a concerned Jereane. We next made the classic mistake of choosing the wrong direction and ran straight into a narrow alley that didn't look like it was going to lead anywhere promising. Loud yells and hoots of laughter from behind told us the Kropasks, at least, were enjoying themselves. I risked a glance over my shoulder and wished I hadn't. About a dozen of them were in hot pursuit. I didn't think stopping to fight them off was going to work as well as it had against the Zolk.

A static fizzing noise flew past my shoulder as one of the Kropask's weapons arced toward Nirf, leaving the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. I barely had time to cry a warning, but Nirf had already reacted and swerved upward. The glowing crescent of an electrically charged throwing knife clanged into a wall, throwing off a shower of sparks. The Kropasks have several similar weapons that they delight in demonstrating at the slightest provocation.

Another, less deadly weapon slammed into my back and I went sprawling across the ground. Ahead I could see Nirf and Jereane swing round a corner into an even narrower alley. I scrambled to my feet, not daring to look back, as Jereane leaned back round the corner and let off a couple of shots from her stunner. I gained the shelter of their alley and dropped to my knees, pulling out my own stun pistol. Things didn't look too good. One Kropask had fallen foul of Jereane's shot, and as I tried to aim another of them took a shot squarely in the chest and fell in front of a couple of his companions, delaying them for a couple of seconds. They were almost upon us, and it wasn't going to be enough.

Chapter 4: The Search

My hand ached from where I had landed on it awkwardly and I struggled to regain my usual unerring accuracy as I fired wide and hit the wall with three shots. Before a grimace had time to settle on my face, a wide beam of green light shone down from a neighbouring rooftop, catching the lead Kropask in its glare. He stopped mid-step and slumped to the ground. The beam ranged across the other Kropasks who were still running, dropping each to the floor in turn. Only the very last of them had time to react to the threat. He dived to the side, but the wielder of the psionic light gun was just as quick, and the beam of light stabbed out and caught him.

We were still crouched in our alley, now faced with a dozen unconscious Kropasks, the nearest only metres away. I decided not to show myself until learning who was out there: friend, or even more formidable foe.

"Hello?" I called. My voice sounded flat in the damp air.

A shape appeared on the adjoining roof top where the beam had originated. It was a humanoid shape; in fact it looked like a droid. It stepped off the edge of the roof and dropped the single storey to the alley floor, landing with a metallic thud. It wasn't just a droid, it was an Ayorian droid, and as it stepped out of the shadow I realised that it was my droid!

"Anok?" I said, amazed. "Was that you?"

"No," said Anok shortly. I realised as I stood up that it didn't carry a weapon. Another figure appeared on the rooftop, leaning on the handle of a hovaped. He stepped over the edge and sank swiftly to floor level, riding the hovaped's repulsor field until it came to a rest just above the alley floor.

"Drew!" I exclaimed, even more surprised than when I had seen Anok. "What on Earth are you doing here?"

"Well, you know us at GSS, we never quit until the job's done." He glanced over my shoulder at Jereane who had stepped out of the alley behind me. "And it looks like the job just got a lot better." He smiled.

Nirf hovered into view. "Well met," he said.

"Nirf, glad to see you're okay."

"Your timing couldn't have been better," I said. "You took them out just in time."

"It wasn't all my work," Drew said. "Your friend here is quite a stunner." He smiled at Jereane. I felt obliged to introduce the two of them.

"A pleasure," Jereane said, offering her hand.

"The pleasure's mine," Drew replied, kissing her fingertips lightly. Some people!

"So, how did you end up here?" I asked, making a move down the alley, keen to drag them apart.

"I was able to use my bioscanners to locate you," Anok said.

"But it's a longer story than that," Drew began, as we left the alley. Behind us, several Zolk emerged from who-knows-where and began checking the sleeping Kropasks for valuables. We hurried on to the main street where surprise muggings were less likely.

"Start from where we accidentally left you behind," Nirf suggested.

"Let's find somewhere to sit," Jereane said at the same time.

"Yes, why did you leave me behind?"

"That is also a long story," I said, looking round for a café that might serve something digestible. "But, believe me, we didn't do it on purpose."

"Over there." Jereane spotted a little tea shop with Terran writing across the window. It looked inviting, especially as the steady drip of rain was beginning to become more persistent.

"Well," said Drew, "there was obviously a lot of confusion on Zrsectipar, which is why I thought you'd been bustled on to the shuttle and were headed back to Earth. It took a while, but eventually I got the crystals from the Dome security people and booked on to the Earth shuttle that was leaving the following day." He paused his story to choose a cake from the counter.

"Did the crystals get back to TGT?" I asked anxiously. I'd almost forgotten about them.

"They did."

I breathed a sigh of relief. We ordered drinks and snacks and sat at an aluminium table with a wonky leg.

"It turns out," he took a sip of coffee, "it was one of the last flights allowed to leave. By the time I got to Earth, word had arrived about your shuttle explosion. TGT sent me back out to collect you."

"Didn't think of that." I smiled apologetically around a bite of flapjack. "We decided to make our own way home." The taste of fish was finally disappearing from my throat.

"Yes, I discovered that when I got to Clison II. It's a shame, because TGT gave me a ship to use. I was glad to hear you all survived." Drew stopped suddenly and looked around. "Where's Hanlo, by the way?" He carried on looking round the shop as though Hanlo might pop out from behind the counter with a plate of cakes.

"We left him behind." Jereane shrugged and went back to eating her fruit pastry.

"Has that become company policy?"

"We didn't actually leave him behind this time," I explained. "He's gone on ahead to meet us at TGT. We're not there, though."

"Evidently not. Anyway, I got to Anto only to discover you were wanted by the police and had disappeared into the middle of another rebellion of some kind."

"How did you track us?" I asked.

"I work for GSS, remember. We have agencies on most planets, contacts with local police forces, even with GalPol."

"It's a shame you weren't with us." Nirf observed. "You might have saved us a lot of trouble."

"Well, you certainly seem to have got in a lot of trouble along the way. I eventually discovered that one ship had left the island you were on, and traffic control had scanned a Tsimkan and three humans." He looked over at Jereane. "I presume one of those was you?"

"No, that was Tree." I replied.

"Tree?"

"Er, yes. We left him behind on Balan VIII."

"You seem to have been a bit careless," Drew said wryly. I had to agree; the way the story was going didn't make me look too great.

"So you followed us to Coray IV," Nirf prompted.

"That's right, but only after wasting a couple of days. I couldn't think why you would be going so far out of the way."

"Force of circumstance."

"Of course, by the time I got there you'd disappeared again." Drew paused and put down his cup. "Here's an interesting thing, though. The local police had a tip-off about you and were looking for you within a couple of hours of you landing."

"They were?" That was interesting. They couldn't possibly have got a message from Anto that quick. It also meant I had been right to flee.

"I wasted another couple of days there. Nobody knew where you were. Eventually I found out you'd stowed away, of all things, to Balan VIII. The police were a bit embarrassed and didn't want to admit it."

"That explains why you were creeping round the streets at night." Jereane commented. "You never gave me a good reason for that."

"Right," Drew said. "Balan VIII. Then you disappeared completely. The police were looking for you for days. I hung around a couple more days until suddenly a private trader flies into the system with a priority message for GalPol. They passed it on to me when they heard the names. The trader had arrived at Zyg only two hours after you left, hoping to make a nice profit off the new colonists, and picked up your message instead."

"Two hours was better than we hoped." I said.

"By my reckoning, I left Balan about the same time you arrived here. I got here in the early hours of this morning and thought it best to wait for the light. This morning I managed to find out which was your ship, very cosy-looking by the way, and was accosted by your droid while I was looking at it."

"I'm glad you two met," Jereane said.

"So, how did you get to Zyg?" Drew asked.

*

We were back on the streets of the Kelp Quarter, continuing our search for Kralo Zur. The light rain had faltered and finally stopped, leaving a sheen across everything that glittered in the faint sunlight. After hearing our account of what we'd been doing, Drew decided it was time he took the lead and showed us how the professionals got things done. We had no idea if or when GalPol would show up. Normally they wouldn't come to Sosh II, but under the circumstances, none of us thought they could let Zur get away with murdering an entire colony. Officially, Drew didn't know any details of GalPol operations, but he was fairly confident in his contacts in the Balan system. There had been two GalPol frigates in the system at the time. One had departed for the regional GalPol HQ on Hadyn, which put any response from there at least twenty hours behind Drew. The other had headed for Duterr, a detour of at least ten hours.

We walked as we talked, discussing possible responses from the interplanetary community. At the side of the road, chatting to a street vendor, I spotted an Ollion wearing a black leather waistcoat.

"He could be working for Zur." I pointed him out to Drew.

"Stay behind me," He replied and walked over to the snow-white man, taking Anok with him. We followed to within a short distance and waited while the two chatted via Anok. The street vendor decided to go and vend elsewhere. The Ollion shifted his feet uncomfortably and glanced up and down the street. Drew draped his arm over what would have been shoulders on a human, and guided him into an alley. Ollion have a barrel-shaped body that merges with their bald, dome-shaped head with no discernible shoulders or neck. Nirf scooted closer while Jereane and I waited at the alley's entrance.

Whatever Drew was saying, the man was not too keen to help. Drew suddenly pushed him back against the wall and attempted to grab him round the throat. That wasn't too successful due to the lack of a neck, but Nirf's looming presence above his head seemed to do the trick. The man blurted something, pulled away and ran off down the alley.

"Well?" I asked as we came back together.

"He works for Zur, alright. Just as a barman, apparently. Zur has an office at the Moon Rock Casino." Drew shrugged. "That's all I got before he pulled away. They're so difficult to get hold of."

"We have a destination, then," I mused, looking up and down the street.

"We passed the Moon Rock Casino a short while ago," Anok said.

"Lead the way," Drew gestured. We turned and followed Anok back down the street to find Kralo Zur.

Chapter 5: Unpleasant Characters

It wasn't very far back that Anok had seen the Moon Rock Casino. Drew urged us to carry on walking casually past rather than head across the street and go straight in.

"We don't want to look too obvious," he explained, as we drifted to a stop beside a group of small handcraft stalls. "If we split up we're more likely to find out something useful without drawing attention to ourselves."

As he was the professional, Drew insisted on entering first. Two minutes after he disappeared through the door, Jereane crossed over the street and went in after him. I watched a group of Gremen go in before Anok and I followed. The Paralli doorman smiled at me amiably and indicated the droid rack to the side of the entrance for Anok to wait in. I went inside to an atmosphere that was both warmer and dimmer than outside. For a moment I stopped to look for the others, then remembered myself and walked over to the bar.

I found myself sat next to a dour-looking Bluman who sat hunched over his drink, staring more than sipping. I ordered a cider and glanced up and down the length of the polished bar as it was being dispensed. Drew sat at the far end of the bar and seemed to be having a friendly chat with two Juddor women of questionable dress sense. I spun slowly around on my bar stool as I sipped, noting Jereane at the roulette table in the middle of the room where she looked more confident and relaxed than I felt. Nirf, who had slipped in without my noticing, was hovering beside a booth at the rear of the lounge and watching two Zinians playing a card game. It involved them holding a hand of cards in five out of six of their grasping appendages. I guess there are some games humans just can't play.

"Is this a decent kind of place to come?" I asked the Bluman as I picked up my glass.

"See for yourself," was his unhelpful reply.

"Looks quite pleasant," I said. "You come here much?"

He shrugged. I hadn't chosen the most communicative person to sit next to. I decided to give him one more try.

"I'm just visiting. I hear the place can be a bit dangerous."

"Leave me alone, I'm drinking!" he snapped, and turned away.

The Antovian barman frowned at me. At least, I think he did. I downed the rest of my drink, rather too fast, and wandered over to a private booth against the far wall. On the way I smiled at Jereane, who had gathered a small crowd of admirers as she played. She nodded slightly at me, and I slid onto a bench seat and leaned on the table to watch. From where I sat I could overhear the conversations on either side of me. Neither were in languages I understood, but I couldn't really walk round until I found someone speaking Terran.

After a short while I thought I should order something to eat or drink, rather than just sitting on my own looking lonely and suspicious. I called over a servobot that was roaming the room. Unfortunately at almost exactly the same second it was hailed by a Flooshy who was sat at a nearby table. The servobot half turned to me, turned back, then stopped where it stood. The Flooshy tapped its three feet impatiently, but said nothing more.

"Waiter!" I called again. The servobot turned and approached my table.

"I called it first!" The Flooshy growled, jumping to his feet. I had heard that Flooshy have a volatile temper, but I'd never had dealings with one before. They have a slightly unnerving look about them, particularly as you can see none of their facial features except their bright yellow eyes. His eyes were fixing me with a mean glare, peering out from the thick, curly black hair that covered his entire body. The servobot ignored his outburst and came to a stop in front of me.

"I said, me first!" The Flooshy shouted this time. A hush spread out from us as the patrons turned to see what was going on.

"Fine," I said, gesturing for the waiter to serve the antagonised customer. The waiter took no note and repeated its request for my order. The other thing of note about Flooshy is their enormous hands. This particular character demonstrated their usefulness by grabbing the bot and tearing its serving arms off, flinging them across the room. I rose to my feet, keeping the table between the two of us. It didn't seem to cross his mind that now neither of us could be served. I saw the Paralli doorman heading towards us as the Flooshy lifted the servobot and threw it at the wall above my head. I dodged out of the way as it came crashing down about me. From across the room I could see Drew gesturing frantically toward the door as he made his way through the tables toward me. I edged around the table as the Flooshy stepped forward and grabbed its edges with his two enormous hands. With a yell he shoved it forcefully towards me.

I leaped out of the way and made a dash for the door, only to find myself caught in the huge arms of a Kropask bouncer.

"Er, hi!" I said pleasantly.

"Come with me," he said. I had no choice really as he dragged me away. It all seemed a little unfair; the Flooshy who had started the trouble was being given a complimentary drink by the barman to placate him. I soon realised that my escort was not just concerned with the small fracas as he took me to the back of the bar. I was pulled through a mirror-panelled door into a dim corridor where I was quickly joined by Drew, also in the arms of a Kropask. A moment later Jereane was escorted in by a pair of Bluman, and then the doorman came in, carrying Anok under his arm. Despite our precautions it seemed that we had been connected.

The Paralli returned to his duties, but the other four drew blasters from within their waistcoats and gestured for us to proceed down the corridor. At the end an Ollion was waiting for us. He nodded at our guards and opened a door for us to be shown through. The four of us were left alone in a small, unfurnished room that smelled of playing cards and alcohol. Nirf had not been brought in with us.

"Find out anything useful?" I asked. "All I learned was that a Flooshy is as bad as his reputation!"

"Didn't really have time," Drew said wryly. "Only to confirm that Zur is pretty well known and feared around here. And this is definitely one of his establishments."

"I heard something interesting at the roulette table," Jereane said. "Apparently Zur has recently taken on a new captain for one of his ships. He has a reputation for being particularly brutal. Zur has already promoted him to senior captain."

"Could be the one responsible for Zyg," Drew mused.

"That's not the most interesting thing." The door handle turned to admit someone else to the room, and Jereane finished her sentence hastily before we were overheard. "He has red skin."

I walked in stunned silence as a pair of Kropasks ushered us out of the holding room and down the corridor. Glossies working for Zur? We entered a lift, went down one floor and out into a large thickly carpeted room that was decorated in red and black and festooned with gilt chandeliers. At the far end behind a large desk sat a larger man. His pasty flesh looked terrible in contrast with his black shirt and waistcoat. His black hair was slicked back into a peak. Behind him stood a pair of Blumen, one to each side, leaning against the wall.

"Welcome," he said, waving us forward. "Have a seat, why don't you?" He had a surprisingly refined accent. I hesitated, unsure now whether we were guests or prisoners. "Ah!" he exclaimed. "There are no chairs, you say. Well, come forward!"

I hadn't actually considered the absence of chairs, but we obediently approached his desk. Behind us three chairs slid up out of the floor and unfolded for us. The man grinned like a child with a new toy.

"Sit down! Sit down!" he enthused. Drew, Jereane and I sat; Anok remained standing behind us. "Thank you, Horkoz," he said to the Kropask who had led us in. I glanced round to see the two guards leave the room through a side door. Another pair of Kropasks stood, one in each corner, arms folded across their chests.

"I'm glad we could meet." My attention was drawn back to the occupant of the desk. "My name is Kralo Zur."

Chapter 6: The Empire of Crime

I sat back warily. This was the man we had been looking for. Despite his somewhat eccentric speech and seeming friendliness, this was still the man who had ruthlessly murdered a colony of a thousand people. We were at his mercy.

"Relax," Zur purred. "Have a drink." At a gesture from him a pseudowood cabinet slid up out of the floor in front of us, stacked with glasses and bottles of drink.

"No thanks," I declined. Zur looked at the other two and they shook their heads in turn.

"Suit yourselves." He shrugged and the cabinet disappeared. "Now, what's this I hear about you causing an argument in my casino?" He spoke like a headmaster to a recalcitrant student.

"Let's get to the point," I said, trying to take the initiative. "Why would you bother yourself with a matter your bouncers could handle?"

Zur frowned. "Ah, an intelligent little being, aren't you?" His voice became icy all of a sudden. "I hear you've been looking for me. Now I've found you. I also heard what you were saying in the waiting room. Are you from GalPol?"

"No!" I answered sharply. Working for GalPol was guaranteed to make a person even more unpopular than we already were.

"But I think you are," Zur replied, his voice calm once more. He made his fingers into a bridge.

"We're not from GalPol," Drew argued. "They wouldn't send officers down onto Sosh II."

"So, you're defending them. That proves it!" A wicked grin formed on Zur's face. "And I know just how to deal with GalPol officers."

I had the distinct impression that I was not going to like his idea. He pressed a buzzer on his desk and a minute later the room's side door opened. A gaggle of Gosps entered, and none of them looked sweet and innocent like the pick-pocket of the previous day.

"I'm sure that if you haven't met a Gosp before, you'll soon become familiar with their …" he paused and rubbed his hands together thoughtfully, "… efficiency." He smiled. The Gosps chattered appreciatively. Somehow that one word made them a lot more frightening. "But first, I'm sure you'd like to see some of my operations, out of professional curiosity."

Not really, I thought, but decided not to say anything else to antagonise him. He seemed to have a very volatile personality, his voice and face switching to a different emotion every other sentence. Zur pressed a switch and our chairs swivelled round to the side to face a section of wall that lit up to become a screen. The film that started immediately first showed illegal mining operations on the asteroids within the Sosh system, then on Zyg. I sat up sharply as the film showed the newly formed colony being destroyed by a flotilla of small ships armed with megablasters.

"This is my latest operation," Zur interrupted the film. "I had to protect my mining rights, so the colonists had to go."

"What rights?" Jereane demanded, leaping to her feet. "Those colonists had the only rights to that planet!" The Gosps began chattering excitedly.

"Calm down," Zur ordered. The film stopped in the middle of a scene showing Zur's flotilla of smuggling ships. "So, you're not from GalPol after all. No trained officer would get so emotional about a mere film."

"That's what we already told you!" Drew said.

"Ah, but you could be acting," Kralo retorted.

I groaned.

"Excuse me," Anok spoke up for the first time. "If you would like to check my memory files, you will find that I have nothing to do with GalPol, and neither do any of these three."

"Very clever," Zur said. "But that could also be faked."

"Why don't you just check us out through your contacts?" I suggested.

"Waste of time. I'd have to kill you anyway."

"Why?" Drew asked.

"Because now you've seen all this." Zur gestured at the screen.

"We didn't ask to see it!" Jereane protested.

"But you did see it, and that's that." Zur signalled to the Gosps who ran up and started tugging us toward the door, taking measurements as they went and entering them on a small, black infopads.

The door opened, and outside, a Paralli led us along a short hallway to an antigrav tube. The six Gosps stepped in one by one, tugging Jereane and Anok with them, and dropped out of sight. The Paralli gestured impatiently for me and Drew to follow. I considered the possibility of escape. Drew and I could maybe handle the Paralli between us, but the Gosps would still be waiting at the bottom of the shaft, and they had lots of sharp spikes. Even if we could escape them, which seemed unlikely, there would still be Horkoz and at least three other Kropasks, plus at least two Blumen. If we could find our way out there was still a casino staffed by Zur's people, plus a very grumpy Flooshy.

I decided to enter the antigrav shaft and give Nirf a little more time to show up. I was confident he would have some kind of plan by now. When I emerged from the bottom of the shaft, perhaps ten metres below, the Gosps were already leading the way out of a small reception room through one of three round hatches on the opposite wall.

They pushed and shoved us along a short corridor and into a large, drab room. The Paralli constantly brought up the rear. Many individuals of various races were working at benches and consoles producing what I assumed to be illegal drink and drugs. We were quickly ushered through by a Coraylian guard into another large room.

This room was undecorated, save for red floor tiles that reminded me of Jereane's kitchen. On the brick walls hung various hideous-looking devices that it's best not to think about. Much to my alarm, we were not ushered on into another room. Instead, the Gosp's excitement grew louder as they rushed about choosing implements off the wall and turning on machines that had obviously been devised by a mad man. I gulped loudly. It seemed we were about to learn of the Gosp's efficiency!

Chapter 7: Destruction

Drew and I both decided at the same time that an escape attempt was going to be the best course of action after all. We looked at each other and nodded. Then, while the Gosps were distracted tying Anok down to an ugly-looking examination table, we whirled and jumped our Paralli guard. I grabbed for his blaster and Drew dived at his legs. There's a saying that you might know: the bigger they are, the harder they fall. Now Paralli are very big, and this one fell very hard. The spiky Gosp who stood nearest us discovered the truth of this as the Paralli fell heavily on him. The impact didn't do either of them any good, and neither regained their feet to continue the fight.

Drew was pinned beneath a huge pair of legs, severely winded. I was only held down by an arm, but that was heavy enough. As I struggled to crawl out, another Gosp made a grab for the blaster on the floor. Jereane, careful not to get herself spiked, kicked out expertly and hit him in the base of the skull. The Gosp was launched several centimetres into the air and came down hard onto its face.

The four remaining Gosp stood transfixed where they were until this moment, but now they grabbed the first weapons that came to hand and rushed at us. One of them took the time to activate the rendor that Anok was strapped to. I was still struggling to my feet and Jereane faced the four of them and their vicious weapons alone. A loud buzzing and the acrid smell of overloading electrics filled the air. I grabbed hold of the Paralli's outsized blaster and hefted it awkwardly. The door swished open behind me and I hesitated, trying to balance the weapon.

Four sun-bright bolts of energy shot out from behind me, each hitting a Gosp squarely in the chest and they fell to the floor in perfect harmony.

"Nirf!" Jereane cried in relief.

Now, didn't I say Nirf would come up with a plan?

"That doesn't look good," Nirf said as a loud crack reminded us that Anok was still strapped to the electromagnetic rendor. He flitted across and turned the machine off. Jereane and I pulled Drew out from under the Paralli's legs and he stood, clutching bruised ribs.

"GalPol Rugby Fifteen," he wheezed. "Coach always said I was a good tackler." He leaned against the wall, striving to regain his breath. Anok lurched upright and stepped falteringly away from the rendor.

"I'm sorry," Nirf said to Drew, "but we've got to hurry."

"I'll be fine, let's go," Drew replied, waving away our concerns. Although he didn't wave away Jereane's concerned hand on his shoulder too quickly.

As we turned to leave the chamber Nirf let off another four shots into the rendor. He was probably a bit too zealous as the machine partly melted then gave way to a small explosion. We hurried away from the heat and smoke and back into the drugs lab. The dozen or so technicians were staring our way in alarm and the Coraylian guard was already scuttling towards us. A shot from Nirf sent him sprawling back across the nearest bench. The technicians scattered away through two different doors. Jereane hurried across and retrieved the Coraylian's twin enlapps, tossing one to Drew.

Flames were creeping through the door that we had just exited, so, perhaps unwisely, I decided to add to the chaos by loosing the power of my newly acquired maxiblaster on the lab. How was I to know that the manufacture of illegal drugs involves flammable solvents and delicate electronic equipment? We expedited our exit through the round hatch as flames engulfed the lab, but decided to leave the door unsealed, just to spread the smoke damage.

In the antigrav tube reception area we were met with the annoying fact that the antigrav tubes had closed down, presumably due to the fire alarm that was now tolling calmly in the background. A red neon sign lit up beside each tube and Anok translated them as: In Case of Fire, Use Stairs. Fine. No-one knew where the stairs were.

We all piled through the nearest hatchway, intent on finding an alternative route. Somebody decided that it would be a good idea to pull the hatch shut behind us, and the built in hydraulics took over and finished the job for us before we realised that the room we had entered had no lights. With a final hiss and a clunk from the door we were left in complete blackness.

A moment later a feeble orange glow illuminated our faces. It was emanating from Anok's chest. I always knew that a droid was quite useful. Last time we were stuck in the dark I remembered someone had a torch. I was about to ask who had it when I realised that it had been Tree. I briefly wondered how he was getting along back on Balan VIII, then spotted a light switch near the door.

A series of soft white strip lights flicked on down the centre of a long room. One side was lined with cages or prison cells, all of which appeared empty. The other side was lined with a clearplas wall, beyond which was a spacious pond of murky green water. Aquatic weeds floated on the surface and large spider-like creatures skimmed across the water from one clump to another. They were the kind of creature that made you shudder just to look at them. Lying on a partly submerged rocky shelf at the far side were three Rabzid. They sat up and looked at us through blinking eyes as their sleep was interrupted.

"Do you think they're prisoners?" Jereane asked.

"Probably," I said. "The whole room looks like a prison."

There was the dull thud of a muffled explosion, felt through the soles of our feet more than heard. Tiny ripples danced across the surface of the Rabzid pond.

"I know one thing," said Drew. "We don't want to stay here any longer than necessary." There didn't appear to be any other exit from the prison, so we turned back to the hatch we had entered through. It was sealed tight.

"I'll have a go at the lock," Nirf said and floated over to examine the sealing mechanism.

"We should let the Rabzid out," Jereane said. "They could be killed if the fire spreads." I agreed and walked to the far end of the room as far away from the Rabzid as possible. Nirf continued his attempts at the door, taking surprisingly longer than usual.

I hefted the maxiblaster and fired at the upper portion of the clear wall. A round hole about a metre across vanished in a blaze of energy. The Rabzid looked at each other in surprise, then slid into the water and began swimming across. I smiled at Jereane, pleased with myself. She didn't smile back. In fact, she was frowning at the wall. I looked around and decided it was definitely time to trade in for a smaller weapon. The clearplas was cracking. Faults were spreading out like a spider web. Water was beginning to leak through.

"Have you got the door yet?" I called hopefully to Nirf.

"Almost." Came the reply. With a horrible screeching roar the restraining wall gave way, the entire length rippling out and falling away in a domino-like cascade. The murky water foamed and splashed and sprayed as it gained its freedom and flooded across the floor. There were yells and profanities of various descriptions as water swiftly rose to our knees and pond weed tangled round our ankles. Seemingly unconcerned, the Rabzid waded over to the door and stood patiently waiting for Nirf to finish. One of them splashed at an approaching spider and tapped Drew on the leg to tell him something while pointing at the floater.

"He says the floaters have a bite that is highly toxic to non-Rabzid," Anok informed us in his usual calm voice. There was a sudden flurry of splashes as we all frantically looked about, flapping away madly at anything that looked like it might move.

"Done," Nirf announced, and the hatch popped open. We were getting very good at rushing through doors by now, and this exit was particularly quick. The water that rushed out with us, carrying the horribly creepy floaters, encouraged us even more.

Back out in the reception room we found the air thick with smoke. There was always a chance that the water would put out the fire, at which point I could claim that I had deliberately smashed the pond wall. Two Kropasks had emerged from one of the antigrav chutes and were heading for the lab. They must have overridden the safety cut-off to come and investigate. They saw us, then evidently saw the floaters swarming out the door behind us. There was a mad scramble for the antigrav chutes, but Nirf, unimpeded by water, floaters or smoke, got there first and aimed his weapon at the Kropasks. They paused long enough for Jereane and Drew to down them with their enlapps. Nirf wasted no time in entering the chute and disappearing aloft. The rest of us, plus the Rabzid, sploshed forward and followed suit. Several floaters were homing in on my legs as the others scrambled into the tube ahead of me and I lost my grip on the maxiblaster as I tried to bat them away. It disappeared below the water and I decided it would have to stay where it was. I stepped back and was whisked upward by the antigrav field.

Drops of water accompanied me and dripped out onto the corridor above as I stepped out. We entered a scene of total chaos. Smoke was coming from somewhere. Firebots rushed past in the wrong direction. Hysterical Blumen ran up and down yelling orders to panicking Gosp and frantic Kropasks. Floaters emerged from the antigrav and scuttled off to add their element of surprise. A gout of flame suddenly blasted from the antigrav chute and scattered us along the corridor. A section of ceiling collapsed, adding dust and debris to the air. More sirens were sounding and sprinklers sprang to life. I whirled round, trying to see where my companions had gone. Drew was ahead of me, heading further up the corridor and coughing heartily. I hurried to catch up, tripped on some rubble and fell heavily into the wall. Something gave way and I fell through into darkness.

Chapter 8: Another Escape

Dark rooms seem to be a common occurrence for me. This one contained lots of shelves that I bruised myself on. Several of them collapsed and I fell to the floor, buried under a pile of linen. I stood up carefully, feeling about for any obstructions. The door had closed behind me and the fall had disoriented me. My hand found a door handle and I pushed it open. It was obviously not the same door, because on the other side was a dimly lit, cramped service corridor. It was barely tall enough to stand up in and barely wide enough to walk forwards. It looked slightly safer than the chaos I had just left, so I started forward, carefully avoiding the pipes and cables that festooned one wall.

A few metres forward the corridor entered a small square room in which the walls were covered with fuse boxes, dials, meters and other sundry utility items. It seemed to be some sort of service utility monitoring room. Identical corridors led off left and right, but the one straight ahead had no cables or ducts emerging from it. Its plain block walls were undecorated save for infrequent, dim strip lights. A faint smell of mould emanated from it, but I decided it was the way to go.

I didn't know how big Zur's building was, or how far his property spread, but the passage went on for a surprisingly long way. It must have been twenty or thirty metres before it ended at a half size door, more the right size for a Rabzid than a human. It was shut with metal bolts that were stiff with rust, and as the door finally swung open towards me the smell of mould increased dramatically.

I peered cautiously through. The other side was a low-ceilinged chamber with closely spaced iron rungs leading to a hatch in the roof. The kind of dodgy characters that worked for Zur were probably glad of a secret exit, so I eagerly climbed the first couple of rungs, pulled back the bolts and pushed at the hatch. It budged very slightly, and a reek of rotten food seeped through the gap. I began to think that perhaps secret exits weren't so exciting after all, but thought I might as well push on now I was there. I heaved up with my shoulder and the hatch gave way. As it opened upwards a collection of half-rotted vegetables and other assorted rubbish fell down around me. That explained the smell, then. I clambered up into a large waste container, trampled down some bags of rubbish and climbed over the edge into a small alley way.

A drunk Brogian stared at me before ambling on his way. I followed him along the alley and came out in a side street. From there I could see a plume of black smoke wafting up into the air from behind the nearest buildings. I hurried along the street to the nearest junction and found myself back on the street where the entrance to the Moon Rock Casino was situated.

Smoke was pouring out of the roof of the building and seeping out of the windows. An assortment of characters were still making their way out of the building to join a growing crowd that had gathered to watch the spectacle. A Paralli and several Kropasks were keeping the spectators back, the Kropasks not being too gentle about it. I made my way closer, heading for the alley at the far side, hoping to see some of my friends in the crowd. There was no sign of anyone I knew. Half a dozen firebots raced down the street and went in to the casino through the front door. I was surprised that something as organised as a fire service operated on such an anarchic planet. I found out later that there were several competing fire and rescue services, each responding only to emergencies involving their own paying clients. Kralo Zur obviously paid well, or had some other influence, as another pair of firebots and a medivan arrived on the scene.

The alley at the side of the Moon Rock was almost smoke free. There were no doors or windows opening on to it, and I continued round to a large service yard at the rear of the building. As I arrived I saw the figure of Anok emerging from a narrow door, still limping erratically and now dulled from gleaming white to sooty black. A firebot zipped over, paused, then obviously decided that a droid didn't need any help and went in through the door instead.

"Have you seen Jereane?" I asked anxiously. "Or Nirf, or Drew?"

"No." Anok lurched to a stop. "The smoke has affected my …"

I guess the smoke had affected its vocal circuits, but then Anok leaned precariously to the side and bumped down to the floor behind a pile of crates. I looked around desperately, wondering what to do. What were the chances of finding anyone if I rushed heroically in to the rescue? How I wished the Glossies hadn't disabled my inter-personal link with Nirf.

There was a thud as a double door burst open and slammed back against the wall. Jereane came running out, shielding her eyes with her arm and with her T-shirt collar pulled up over her mouth to exclude the smoke.

"Jereane!" I called. The Kropask who came running out behind her looked over to see who had called as well. I dropped back behind the crates with Anok as the Kropask swung his weapon towards me. Jereane took the opportunity to dive behind a selection of kegs. I was still unarmed, but Jereane had managed to keep hold of her enlapp and used it to swiftly stun her pursuer. I rushed over to see if she was alright. Her face was smudged with dirt and soot; dust and debris were liberally sprinkled in her frizzed hair; her clothes were stained and dusty. She looked wonderful.

"You look a state!" she said.

"Thanks," I replied. "Anok's in worse repair than me, though." I offered my hand to help her to her feet, only remembering to let go halfway back across the yard to where Anok lay.

"Do you think Zur's still in there?" she asked, looking back at the ruined building.

"I don't think so," I said sadly. "He'll have plans for a quick getaway, I'm sure." As we spoke, a loud shattering announced the arrival of Drew as he flew through a ground floor window into the yard. He landed expertly, rolled and bounced back to his feet, brushing the dust from his jacket. He looked around nonchalantly as though he did that kind of thing every day and, spotting us, headed across the yard.

The rest of the window frame came crashing down behind him as a Paralli stepped through to join us. I suspect the Paralli was behind Drew's spectacular exit, but he never confirmed my suspicions. Drew increased his pace and joined us behind our crates. Crates aren't really designed to stand up to the firepower of a maxiblaster. As the Paralli fired a stream of bolts towards us we scattered, leaving Anok in a pile of splinters. Drew and Jereane returned fire with their enlapps and the Paralli was hit at least three times before he fell.

I peered out from behind a steel storage box, wondering whether it was worth popping over to collect either the Kropask's or the Paralli's weapon. I decided against it when a desperate looking Bluman came rushing out of the same double doors leading a small group of Gosp who fanned out across the yard and quickly took cover. Despite the chaos and destruction inside the building, it seemed someone still wanted us dead. The Bluman's charge didn't go entirely to plan. He stopped in the middle of the yard and looked around wildly, realising he had nothing to hide behind. It didn't really matter, because at that minute Nirf came gliding out from an upstairs window and shot him from behind.

A flying Tsimkan is virtually impossible to hit, so the Gosp wasted quite a lot of energy on the attempt and succeeded only in causing more damage to the fabric of the building. Things then took a turn for the worse. Another Kropask put in an appearance, this time from one of the upper windows, forcing the three of us to crouch low behind our cover. This meant that Drew and Jereane were unable to return fire on the Gosp. To make matters still worse, another pair of Kropasks came running down the alleyway and entered the yard from the other side. We were now surrounded. I could just about stay out of the line of fire of everyone if I lay flat on the ground, so I had no chance of doing anything useful. My plan to take down Zur had always been a little shaky, and now seemed to be falling down around me. I just hoped Nirf had another great plan up his sleeve.

The answer did indeed come from above, but not from Nirf. With a roar of deceleration, an armoured shuttle came hurtling down on a vertical course directly for the yard. It stopped only a metre from the ground, hanging on antigrav repulsors. The walls reverberated with the shock of its arrival. From within it dropped a ground vehicle, then it left in a blast of sound and dust. When the air had cleared, there stood a shining GalPol landtank.

The Kropasks repositioned themselves and regrouped with the Gosp between the tank and the building. The smoke from the building seemed to have died down as the firebots efficiently carried out their job. On the landtank a gun turret emerged from the roof and a megablaster swung round to aim in the general direction of the Gosp. I took the opportunity to slink over to the mound of rubble that Jereane was crouching behind. I know it was a bit of a stressful moment, but I decided there that when it was a bit less hectic I would ask Jereane to go out for a drink. Somewhere quiet. I know we had already spent the night at a hotel together, but that's not really the same thing.

My brief daydream was shattered by the tramp of boots. A dozen GalPol troopers emerged from the landtank and took up positions around the yard. They were a mixture of human, Juddor, Zurspo and Fardeen, four races with physiological requirements similar enough that they could share a ship. All were dressed in midnight-blue riot gear, almost the same colour as Fardeen skin, and carried serious looking multigrade enforcement rifles. I wondered how the Fardeen coped with the helmets that must interfere with the sensory ganglia on their head and chin. They didn't seem anything other than formidable, especially with their hugely broad shoulders, so I guess they had some way round the problem.

For a moment there was quiet as everyone sized up the situation. From the rear of the landtank two more figures emerged, both of them officers. One was a Juddor, thick-set, with a serious face and a long stride that brought him over to us in almost an instant. The woman at his shoulder was human, fine-featured with a sprinkling of freckles and a wisp of red hair peeking out from the edge of her headgear. Her warm green eyes did nothing to convince you that she was anything but lethal with the huge weapon she held competently in her delicate hands. My attention returned to the man who stopped in front of us and looked down at me. Nirf hovered into view beside me as I stood up cautiously.

"Brett Hawkes?" It was more a statement than a question.

I presumed that they were following up the message we had left on Zyg. I nodded assent.

"Yes, that's me." I smiled, offering my hand. He didn't take it.

"I'm Major Wilyor Bragg. This is Lieutenant Jacasta Keef." He nodded at the woman to his side. "And you," he said "are under arrest."

The cards came tumbling down around me.

End Part 3

Bio: Gareth D Jones is unofficially the second most widely translated science fiction short story author in the world, having been published in 35 languages. He’s a father of five, two of whom have also been published in Aphelion, and lives in the UK where he writes science fiction, fuelled by copious amounts of tea.

E-mail: Gareth D Jones

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