PROLOGUE Klinith Da carefully landed the stolen cargo hauler on the edge of the dock while her partner partner Gwishi searched the nearby compartments for the ship manifest Taking things from the weak was a great way to live but occasionally it came with its share of hassles like when dopey officials made life difficult Normally Klinith didn't worry about such things as a human woman in a galaxy full of much stronger species she could handle herself but they were supposed to be keeping a low profile profile and that meant blasting people was unfortunately out of the question
A TEST OF COURAGE Are they going to ask for any official documents Klinith asked pushing her shock of magenta hair out of her face She caught her reflection in the gleam of a side panel She looked nothing like she was used to She'd removed all her piercings and covered her Strike markings the tattoos that told other Nihil about her crew and her career as a pirate with the coveralls she wore but she was not about to change her hair She was still Nihil even when she was pretending to be something else After a moment she reached into her pocket and threaded her silver wire around and through the holes in her bottom lip That was a little better less odd This far out they shouldn't care the male Aqualish said his weak command of Basic making the words sound especially snarly The Republic doesn't regulate this part of the galaxy Yet Like Klinith Gwishi wore simple coveralls coveralls his Strike markings covered all but the nasty scar on the right side of his face where he'd taken a blaster bolt to one of his eyes That still gleamed blue a jagged line bisecting his bottom right eye and terminating at his tusk The ink had been added to the still healing wound to show 2
PROLOGUE that even though he'd taken a grievous injury the person responsible was no longer around to repeat the mistake The Nihil repaid all their wrongs threefold Klinith grabbed both her blaster and her knives because in stealthy situations knives were sometimes the better option placing them in her toolbox Gwishi grabbed his own blaster plus his face mask and a canister of ovax gas which he placed into his tool kit along with the rest of his gear The gas would be necessary to incapacitate the mechanics on board the Steady Wing a luxury liner they had followed to Port Haileap a remote outpost on the edge of the Dalnan sector The plan was simple They'd been told to board the Steady Wing and sabotage it so that no one on board was left alive The ship was scheduled to pick up someone important important to the Republic on Haileap and the Nihil needed to let the Republic know they were not welcome in this part of the galaxy Not now not ever The Republic was bad for business Before disembarking Klinith went back and grabbed one more blaster small enough to tuck into the top of her 3
