Pirra heard shouts, but she couldn't make out the one voice. There was something strange about it, but she couldn't tell what. It just sounded off.

Then the screams started.

And the shooting came right after. There were no controlled bursts, just full-auto.

The screams were short, agonized. She heard crashes and impacts so loud that she could hear the bones breaking.

An object came flying through the gap and she threw herself back, letting out a sound that was half scream and half battle cry.

It was a human body, tumbling like a ragdoll.

It was flying like it had been shot from a cannon, hitting the wall with a sickening sound that was at once a splat and the shattering of bone.

The body rebounded, its momentum so great that it flew back out. She could peer carefully out at it, where it had slid to a stop, four meters back into the other room. The man was dead, there could be no doubt. The force had mangled the body so much it was barely recognizable as a human.

She had seen bodies fly like that before, in industrial accidents, when vehicles or heavy machinery went awry. But it was never less shocking to see, and she could not account for what could have done it. Had there even been industrial equipment out there?

Footsteps approached, and Pirra tried to heft the rifle against whatever was now coming after them.

Kell leaned between the pipes. The Ambassador's face was perfectly calm, but there was no hiding the blood that was splattered across it. Red blood. Human blood.

"We must return to the ship," it said. Looking down to Cenz, Kell leaned over and took the being, moving the Coral like he weighed nothing.

Pirra couldn't make words, but nodded. Kell left, pulling Cenz with him.

Pirra stepped out and saw the carnage, what was left of the dozen men that had been out here. Her eyes were drawn to the Ambassador.

There was a smile on its face.

*******

"What the fuck are you telling me?" Nec Tede screamed at the image of his security chief.

Hoc Rem did not even blink. "The security team I dispatched to check on the first team are all dead, Governor."

"You said that the Coral was out of its suit, badly wounded, and probably dying. Are you telling me that two xenos, one of them dying, killed a dozen men?!"

"We see some signs of a firefight, but that's not what killed the men," Rem replied evenly.

"Then what did?" A fear stabbed into his chest, making it tighten painfully. His head felt like it was swimming.

"We're not sure, but it appears that blunt trauma and cervical fractures were responsible for their deaths."

"What?" the Governor demanded. The words weren't too big for him, but in his current state he couldn't parse that out.

"Crushed or broken necks," Rem clarified. Something in his words sounded tired, as if he was explaining this to a child. "The squad leader was nearly decapitated - that is, his head was almost removed."

Nec Tede felt ready to explode on the man. How dare he?

But the man continued before Nec could get his thoughts in order.

"I understand this is alarming news, Governor, but do not be concerned. I have a plan that will solve these issues. This scene is fresh, and I don't believe they have reached their ship yet. I need you to contact the Captain-Mayor and keep him and his people calm. Get them to lower their guard - promise whatever you have to. We don't need long."

Nec's eyes narrowed. "What's your plan?"

"It's better if you don't know, Governor." Rem's expression did not change, but the way he tilted his head back made it seem mocking.

With a great effort, fueled by his own fear, Nec nodded. "I'll keep them busy."

Rem cut the line.

Nec Tede slammed his fist onto the console. Once, then again and again.

Everything was going out of his control. When he'd first hired Hoc Rem, the man had seemed perfect - not only good with a gun and administration, but he'd known people all over the outer colonies, including his shadowy contacts. He had brokered the deal for the cloning equipment and only cared about money, which meant his motives were at least clear. But now the man had his own agenda, it was obvious. And he was hiding things - always a bad sign.

But what could he do? He was in up to his neck. Even if he'd never gotten into this crazy cloning plan, he'd still just be the leader of a dying colony, with no hope of a future. Any day, he knew, Ban and his cutthroats in Old Vitriol could come in here and take over, and bring his head back to his cousin. His own blood, his own ancestry tracing back to the fucking idiot prophet that had brought them to this fucking shitty system, had marked him for life.

And now they'd involved these SU officers. If they died, if word got back, that would be it. No more external trade - at best. The possibility that they'd come in with more ships than he had people and just arrest him and send him off to some penal colony was also possible. And there, he thought, it'd be even easier for Ban to kill him.

If they did that - in a moment of clarity, he realized he had no idea what they did with prisoners. He'd never been outside of the system, and everything he knew about the SU presented them as naive, soft, but possessing overwhelming ships and people when they were angry. It was how they'd beaten the Aeena, beaten the Latarren, sheer numbers.

None of the serials ever showed what they did with their prisoners, though. For all he knew they ground them up into nutrient paste for their algae vats.

A dull throbbing pain burned in his hand, and he realized he'd probably fractured a bone with his rampage.

He had to calm down. There were still ways to salvage this. And right now, he had no choice but to trust Hoc Rem.

Taking a few moments to compose himself, Nec dialed up the SU ship.

"Governor Nec Tede calling for Captain-Mayor Brooks," he said.

A moment later, the Captain appeared.

"Governor. Have you any word about my missing people?"

So they hadn't gotten back yet, just as Rem had said. "We've found some sign of them, Captain. They've wandered deep into the asteroid - we have a lot of areas that are drilled but not yet occupied."

The Captain's face tightened. "Even so, it's been almost twenty-four hours, Governor. I refuse to believe that your people are this incapable."

Anger spiked in him, but the Governor tried to keep his words soothing. "As I said, it's a big asteroid. We believe in the individual's rights here, Captain - if people want to mine on their own, so long as they have the permits they can do it. We haven't even mapped it all out." Some of his anger squeezed out. "But I have to ask - what were your people doing wandering so far? We have warnings posted all over the place about the dangers of getting lost."

Brooks hesitated - just a moment - but Nec caught it. "I'm not sure. But yesterday, for a time we detected a second homing signal that matched that of our craft - coming from within the colony. It could have been used to lure my people away from the ship."

"I didn't hear anything about that," Nec said, feeling thrown on the defensive again. "But if it did happen, then it must have been an accident. People got excited about your arrival - probably just trying to emulate the outsider." He grimaced. "It's one of the downsides of being isolated - people start to think everything foreign is better."

"I'd like a full investigation into that," Brooks said. "I should think you would, too. If it's one of the enemies from the other colonies you've spoken of, this would be a chance to find them."

"Ah, that's a good point," Nec replied. "You've got yourself a good head there, Captain-Mayor."

Brooks didn't seem to even take in the compliment. "Meanwhile, Governor, I'd like to continue our discussion about Apollonia Nor. I'd like to see a full report of your evidence against her."

"Oh." Nec took a moment to consider. He hadn't really formalized anything about the woman into a report; it wasn't the sort of detail he generally bothered to track.

"I've been considering that, Captain-Mayor. I've decided that, if you're willing to take her off the colony, I'll drop the charges." Rem had said to get the Captain to let his guard down, hadn't he?

"That's very generous of you," Brooks replied. "But you seemed convinced she had murdered your former head of security. Why just drop the charges?"

"Captain-Mayor, you wanted her. I want her gone - it's no matter to me if it's warm or cold. Will you take her?"

"Yes," Brooks replied. "But I'd still like to know what evidence you have of her killing your former security chief."

"Ah, just motive and her . . . gifts, as you like to call them. She and the old chief never got along. Violently so."

"That's it?" Brooks asked.

"Yes," Nec hissed, his patience straining. "Besides, I want to show you I'm willing to work with you, Captain. Have you considered my requests?"

"Yes," Brooks replied. But he did not elaborate. "If you do this Governor, I'll consider it an act of good faith and it will reflect well upon you. This, and having my people returned unharmed."

"I'm glad to hear that," Nec said, giving his best smile. "I'll do everything in my power, you have my word."

Brooks didn't smile back as he ended the call.