Vass scrambled back to her feet and tapped one of her earrings. ‘Jekri, I need extraction, now.’ Then she snapped her monomolecular-edged fans open again and took off the heads of the two assassins she’d previously injured. She followed up by doing the same to the one Chetta had struck.

‘No!’ Chetta shouted, a moment too late. ‘We need to know who sent them!’

‘I’m taking no chances,’ Vass replied grimly, nodding beyond the woman’s body. Chetta finally managed to struggle up, and her heart dropped into her stomach when she saw what the rogue trader was gesturing at.

Past where Ezallien Taranthis was picking verself up from the ground, wide-eyed and somewhat singed, lay two more bodies. One was barely recognisable as human any more, since most of the torso was missing, what was left was charred, and the limbs were only loosely attached.

The other had never been fully human, but was now certainly fully deceased.

‘No!’ Chetta shouted again, as the reality of Vittariel’s blasted corpse sank in. His refractor field had been overloaded by the explosion, and hadn’t saved him. The sheer kinetic force had dismembered his spindly body. Chetta had a sudden flashback to his brother’s death, carved apart in front of her by a huge axe, and fought against the sudden pricking in her tear ducts. She couldn’t start weeping, not now: she might still need to see clearly in order to survive…

‘Governor!’ Vass barked. ‘Are you hurt?’

‘I… yes, but…’ Taranthis floundered, staring around wide-eyed. Other guests were running towards them, far too late to be of any assistance. The whole thing had taken only a few seconds. ‘What…?’

‘There is a gunship incoming,’ Vass said, apparently deciding that Taranthis wasn’t hurt badly enough to be concerned about. ‘It will be taking me away from here. Give whatever orders you must to ensure that it is not challenged in any way.’

‘I… You can’t talk to me like this!’ Taranthis retorted, snapping out of vis shock. ‘I am the governor of this planet!’

‘And I am a rogue trader of the Imperium who has just foiled an assassination attempt in the middle of the shambles that is your security,’ Vass sneered at ver. ‘We can compare the exact powers of our respective authorities later, should you wish to be so foolish, but at this moment I, and my honoured allies, will be leaving!’ She leaned into Taranthis’ face, and any shadow of the jovial, flighty woman who had curtseyed so prettily had disappeared. ‘I strongly suggest that you do not try to stop me.’

Taranthis swallowed and looked away. As guests reached them, all clustering around the governor and enquiring desperately after vis welfare, Taranthis reached to activate vis comm.