Page 2

I release a long stream of smoke from my nostrils as the ship puts down a short distance from me. I finger the pulsar rifle slung around my neck. I don’t need the weapon, but the owners of the grubby cargo vessel don’t know any different.

The skin on my neck itches, and I resist the desire to scratch at it. My shed is due, much to my annoyance, and having the module attached to my neck, the one projecting my disguise is not helping.

But if I get the element of surprise on this occasion, the discomfort will be worth it.

Sarkarnii don’t usually surprise anyone. We’re far too distinct, far too great a bunch of predators to bother. But sometimes a disguise is called for.

This is one of those times.

“Are they in range?” My comm crackles into life.

“Nev you, Dante,” I growl under my breath. “I said silent comm.”

“He’s got an itchy trigger finger,” Dexx rasps.

“Do any of you have any concept of silent comm?” I snarl. “It means silent comm.”

The airlock in the center of the cargo ship screeches open and a gang plank unfolds.

“Does this mean they’re in range?” Dante queries.

“For nev’s sake!”

“Wait for Darax’s signal, Dante.” Dalox’s deep voice rumbles over the comm. “That’s an order.”

“Since when did that nevver ever follow an order?” Driok chimes in. “He’s always exploded first, asked questions later.”

“Will you all shut the nev up ?” I snarl, slamming the mute on my earpiece as I stride towards the open airlock.

It has taken me a nova-month to set up this meeting.

I didn’t want to involve the other warlords, but given the information I’m hoping to obtain will be of use to all of us, I had little choice.

It’s beginning to look like a terrible choice.

Between Dante wanting to blow everything up and Dalox barking orders like he’s still fleet admiral, this meet will go sideways very quickly if I let it.

A group of small creatures appears at the airlock, faces covered with breathing masks, long mud-colored robes flowing in the wind which whips across the plain of this nevving dustbowl of a planetoid. I have to hope my disguise is still intact as I raise my weapon in greeting.

There’s no immediate panic, so I guess it is.

The idiots should think I’m one of them…

a pirate, or in their case a Bloar pirate.

Small, compared to a Sarkarnii, three eyes, tentacles.

Lots of tentacles. They prefer to breathe water and, as such, very rarely make planetfall. Especially a planet like this.

“Hail,” I call out, filling my accelerant sacs, ready for flame, if it’s needed.

“Make this quick. Show us the gems,” the one at the front burbles through his mask. The others look around nervously.

“Down to business.” I laugh. “I knew that was what I liked about you.” I step forward, opening the bag at my waist and pulling out one of the gems inside. One from my personal hoard.

The leader, whose name escapes me, meets me greedily, snatching at it and, after a brief moment of staring at the twinkling item, shoves it back at one of his compatriots.

“These will sustain us for some time,” he says happily, holding his tentacle out for the remainder.

“There’s the little matter of our payment,” I say.

The blank eye shield of his mask doesn’t give me anything, but I feel the tension in the air rise.

“What? But we’ve…”

“I said, there’s the little matter of our payment ,” I grind out.

“But…”

“Oh, nev this!” I pull off the projection collar. “Dante, that was the signal! Do it now!”

“Kaf!” The Bloar is already running, or whatever it is he does with all those tentacles, back towards the transport. “Sarkarnii!”

“Dante!” I roar. “Now would be a good time!” I sprint after the Bloar, reaching the airlock as the last of the gangplank folds inside.

The Bloar has one of my jewels and we haven’t dealt with them as intended. An enormous explosion rocks the ship and sends me sprawling forward inside. It’s followed by a second one as the door snaps shut and seals with a hiss.

“Nev,” I snarl under my breath as a third explosion appears to lift the craft into the air. “Dante! Stop with the nevving explosions.”

“Darax?” My comm crackles as the ship rises out of the atmosphere. “Where are you going?” Driok asks.

“Nevvers.” I shake my head. “I’m getting my jewel back. Come and get me,’’ I growl.

Surely that’s an instruction they can follow?

We might not have worked together for a long time, since we established the colony on Vorostor once it became clear the wormhole which sent us to the arse-end of the universe had closed permanently, but my fellow Sarkarnii captains, now warlords of this galaxy instead, have the skills to deal with a straightforward mission like this one.

The shuttle docks with the Bloar mothership and I slam through the nearest airlock with extreme prejudice. These nevvers are going to find out what happens when you cross a Sarkarnii warlord.

“You heard Darax,” Dalox snarls. “Go get him. I have other things to do.”

Given I wasn’t expecting him to be involved in this, it doesn’t surprise me in the least he has no interest in seeing it through to the end, even if it benefits him to deal with this particular group of Bloar pirates.

My comm whines as we breach the atmosphere, and I pull it off my head and slam my fist against the ship wide announcement.

“It’s time to face the justice of the Sarkarnii,” I roar. “Give up, and we’ll spare your miserable lives.”

My words echo around the ship. A pulsar bolt zips over my head and pings off a bulkhead.

“Have it your way.” I release a sheet of flame which scorches down the passage, to a chorus of screeches. “You were warned, and if this is the way you wish to end it, so be it.”