Thoss World
Vs’Kssh Citadel

Senator HvHuss stood before a portal deep in the heart of the old citadel. The ancient gate was fashioned of knotty wood from a primordial tree species native to the jungle swamps of Thoss. The world’s humid darkness was pierced only by dim moonlight and the echoes of dripping water. There was a faint ripple of motion. It took a long moment for HvHuss to perceive the four still figures in the shadow of the arc. “The lillies, sson of Bfak. What newss?” Grssn stepped out of the shadow, hesitating, then pulling back the black hood of his cloak.

“The freighter that crashed into the sssouthern cliffss. It wass piloted by a drone—” Grssn stopped. He shuddered as he lifted his head to smell the damp air. “We are exposssed, sssentor.” They pushed the gate open and slipped inside where Grssn led the senator to the chest. “The freighter wasss piloted by a drone and ssso the nature of crash drew attention.” Drones didn’t make mistakes, but Thrynn could create them, and in the murky haze of Thoss, suspicion was the currency of life. Hvhuss ran his scaly fingers along the smooth, curved surface of the crimson trunk.

He saw the markings on the lid. Elowan.

“The crash ssite was thoroughly invesstigated by the Directorate,” continued Grssn. “They found nothing.” He didn’t need to add that where the Directorate went, other eyes followed.

“They thoroughly sssearched the wreck at the base of the cliff, sssenator, but they did not ssearch the initial impact site on the cliffs. The vessel actually ssstruck the cliffsss before falling to the canyon floor. The collision sheared off a sslab of granite. It revealed a ssmall opening and we made our way down on rope slingsss to sscrutinize the area. We found a cave that contained thisss trunk.”

“Perhapsss a hidden cell...” HvHuss’s voice trailed off. Someone had sabotaged the freighter drone with the specific intent of hitting the cliff face. There were other renegades, hidden allies that HvHuss knew existed. It was too dangerous to seek them out, but they were fighting the same shadow war. Whoever they were, they had achieved a quiet victory.

Deep Space
Freighter Ufassny

Boz Grabow was sketching on a napkin in the cramped lounge as the economy transport made its lumbering way to the Heaven Colony on the Veloxi border. He drew a large circle on the napkin, and added a small rectangular tab at each of the compass points. He’d have to work out the specifics and do some fast talking, but he was pretty sure the other parts of the plan were available for the right price.

The cocktail waitress—Ufassny actually had one—came back and set a drink on his table. She had taken to calling him “cowboy,” and he had taken to liking it. As the night wore on, she found reasons to stop at Boz Grabow’s table and it turned out she had grown up on an ranch down south, too.

Deep Space
Leghk Sector
G’Nunk Warship Regepple

The scientists g’noon said it was the correct size. Gannuzo looked down from the catwalk at the large, empty bay toward the stern of his vessel. Constructed of reinforced titanium alloy, the round chamber was further strengthened by a mesh of plasticite composite netting. Behind the mesh, in several different locations, huge liquid nitrogen cooling jets stood idle.

Just below one of them, a Slugrf G’Nunk was working maintenance on some ridiculous device. Gannuzo grinned as he loaded an arrow onto a primitive weapon and fired at the Slugrf who shrieked with rage as the projectile struck the hamstring of his fourth leg. “She/It is always waiting for the weak!” howled Gannuzo. The Slugrf was furious and threw a wrench up at the dozelord, but it missed. He wrapped his wound in a greasy rag and continued his work.

Arth
Near Restoration City

It was late in the evening. The setting sun threw a shock of orange over the dark clouds as they made their way across the tiring sky. Tomorrow, things would start rolling, but for tonight, Arella and Mack were dancing barefoot in the cool sand of a palm grove behind Biggs’ beach house. Soft rifts of music carried gently along sea breezes coming in from Ocean West. Arella reached, touched his face, her eyes finding his in the warm darkness. He tilted his head down slightly, squeezing her waist, and they kissed. The song's simple words floated along on the melody. “Fell in love years ago with a innocent girl...”

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Next: "Ramping Up"

Around the Galaxy Tandelou fashion maven Huloola's agent neither confirms nor denies a set-to-debut line of Walter Koenig godmasks--AG is vild vith anticipation, keptin! The Umanu embassy claims it was just business, but delegate Elessa Ura spent an evening on StelCom president Bob Drake's yacht, looking like she had slipped into something (or was it nothing?) more comfortable. AG is scandalized! For you Habby Loman watchers, recent reports have Habs at Arth Burger, Golro 2 and Van Diemen's Belt.

Hilsfar & Company: Charging the Rumor Converters
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