Stacia rushed over to where Zenith once sat. Her fingers probed every surface until she found it. A glyph. Intelligence grade. He had to be nearby. “Maya? Are you back on line?”

<We were never gone.>

“Play back security holovid of this room for the last ten minutes.”

<Those records are unavailable.>

“Why?”

<Security protocols engaged. Code Black / Eyes Only.>

“Maya, no one has higher Code Black / Eyes Only clearance than I do on my own ship.”

<Security protocols engaged. Code Black / Eyes Only.>

“Have any signals beamed into this room?” Stacia held the glyph device to her face for further scrutiny.

<A site-to-site communication signal is currently aimed at your chambers.>

“From where?”

<Paki’s quarters.>

“Send a security team to meet me there.”

Stacia stormed out of her room. The head of her security team, Kenya York, met her with a team of two officers. Their breastplates covered chrome-colored bodysuits. Kenya’s face was uncovered, her two long braids dangled to her waist, the tips dyed purple. Each of her officers wore a gilded animal mask. One an eagle, the other a dog. They brandished shields, though their charged pehla sticks remained at their waists. They waited outside his door for her command. “Security override, keyword: Chikeke1.”

Paki’s door opened.

His room had been thoroughly searched. Tables overturned. Cabinets rifled through. Clothes scattered. With a gesture, Stacia dispersed her team to secure the scene. She went to Paki’s workstation. The interface had been locked down. Someone had tried to hard jack their way through. A spray of blood streaked the wall behind the station. The trace blood on the floor smeared as if a body had been dragged through it.

“Maya, locate Paki.”

<Paki is not on board the Cypher.>

When Stacia turned, she saw a cup of tea resting on the counter.

15 EPYC RO MORGAN
Eshu

Through the low-lying haze of desert dust and heavy weapons fire, enemy combatants closed on Fela’s position. And when a Hellfighters sister was in trouble, the HOVA always had one another’s back. Charge fire erupted around Epyc Ro as she dashed to her commander’s position. A stream of blaster fire stitched the ground she ran along, throwing her stride off to the point where, with her last solid steps, she dove for cover behind a stand of boulders. The enemy deployed biped units, mechanical bots that targeted movement of nonbranded biologicals. With an AI intelligence guiding the robots, they were walking mines that could improvise around unforeseen problems. Panicked, the Mzisoh soldiers concentrated their fire on the new threat, heedless of spraying the HOVA. Now would have been the perfect time to call in air support.

But the Hughes was gone.

One problem at a time.