Author: Stan Shinn (Page 65 of 111)

Something smells funny on the O.R.C. Tyrannus.

It turns out to be Kek—a rat-like, bat-like humanoid who stows away on the ship.

On Vor Deo, the heroes visit a park to pick up information from Lu’Nimah. As Vin Sai tries to track the stealthy Kek, Isshtatha leaps into action to save a petite trollop from an aggressive shroom dealer.

Tensions mount when Vin and Kek decide to steal a droid—R2-X9. Daymont storms off…and notes it in his report.

Daymont later returns to call Vin a dumb-ass.

Racing with Vin, a distracted Daymont slams into a Storm Trooper transport, killing the Troopers and destroying both vehicles.

Then, the heroes spot five drug-dealer thugs on hover bikes and chase them. Isshtatha decapitates one with the car door and Daymont guns down three more in a deadly spray of automatic fire.

Kek wonders how soon it will be before these nuts get him killed.

Back on the ship, Vin Sai analyzes blood samples from the drug dealers and the crew. Someone’s blood seems to have midi-chlorians in it. (Yes, The ‘M’-word.)

The next day, the crew discovers that Count Vidian has killed the wife of their friend, Gorse. They decide that it is time to stop Vidian once and for all…

It is a dark time for our heroes.

In a rush to rendezvous with Skelly Kandos on Thrin, the crew of the O.R.C. Tyrannus takes off—without checking their ship for deadly, hissing space-assassin-ninjas.

It proves to be a fatal mistake.

Halfway to the moon, the crew is ambushed by five assassins.

Surrounded, A9-LX is reduced to a pile of smoking rubble.

A…TICKING…pile of rubble.

In his death-throes, the droid activates the bomb stored within him. Quick action by Isshtatha and Daymont save the ship from certain destruction. Daymont grabs the bomb, leaps through a window, sprints to the garbage chute, and ejects the incendiary into space.

Meanwhile, Dr. Tark Malin is having fun with molasses.

Vin Sai and Cornelius Vaan jump in to help Dr. Malin finish off the strangely tattooed—and now sticky—assassins.

There is no time for the meat-bags to mourn the passing of A9-LX, however. They arrive on Thrin for a hush-hush meeting with a hoarse miner and his data cube.

But Count Vidian nearly foils their plans with a surprise inspection.

Back on the ship, the zombified Garr Juun slumbers, and the data cube reveals imminent destruction for Thrin and Vor Deo. The heroes ponder their next move…