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
4 A TEST OF COURAGE boot Sometimes things went wrong and people got hurt That was Klinith's favorite part There was a short walk through thick jungle the marblewood trees large and covered in blue moss before the busy docking station came into view Klinith had purposely purposely chosen an out of the way landing space to allow her and Gwishi to enter undetected The last thing they needed was too many people asking questions Manifest or not less attention was better That's it right there Gwishi said pointing to an enormous ship that took up most of the landing yard The thing was easily ten times the size of the cargo hauler they'd stolen and Klinith felt a tendril of fear sneak through her as she considered that How in the seven Genetian moons are we supposed to destroy that she asked Gwishi sighed From the inside You're Nihil Act like it and stop worrying I'm not Klinith said She had no problem with the mission it just felt more serious than her previous jobs like she'd been promoted And if this job was successful
5 PROLOGUE she surely would be She'd rise within the Nihil maybe even report directly to Kassav himself Klinith and Gwishi were close to the ship and she grinned with anticipation Everyone would be talking about the destruction of the Steady Wing I'm excited This is going to be monumental I'm just sad we don't get to smash anything Gwishi watched her with unblinking eyes Come on let's go The port was teeming with people from many different different systems As the last stop before some of the most dangerous uncharted regions in the galaxy Port Haileap like other ports on the edge of what was considered civilized civilized space was a place for ships to refuel and for people to catch up on news from back home and relax before spending time in a cramped ship A large landing area stocked with supplies and surrounded by a ring of shops it was just like most of the outposts Klinith had been to with the exception of the giant marblewood trees that were visible in the distance stabbing the violet sky with their green crowns Humans Trandoshans Pantorans
