Page 79 of Courting Mayhem

Qa’a turned an amused gaze on General Zan. “Your warrior shot my Empress. That offence carries a death sentence.”

“And he destroyed irreplaceable antiques that have been in my family for over eight thousand years,”Sariel snarled.

Fury burned in General Zan’s eyes.“Major Eyken knew where Mallox is hiding.”

And Zan didn’t? That made no sense at all. I studied the General. Something was off about him. I just couldn’t put my finger on it.

“Now, we will never know where Mallox is hiding,” Zan spat.

Bleurgh!Zosia regurgitated the Major in a gush of yellow slime.“He is still capable of answering questions.”

The Major floundered around in the stinky yellow goo. His skin was bright red and kinda melty looking. Big clumps of his hair were missing. The Major’s spiffy uniform was pretty much gone. “What? Happened? I hurt. I hurt. Someone. Help. Me!”

A muscle twitched in Derek’s cheek.

I patted his arm. “At least you still have your hair.”

Derek flipped me off.

Without an ounce of sympathy Zarek asked in Galactic Basic, “Where is Mallox’s lab?”

The Major held out a bony hand to Zan.“Master. What. Do. I do? Help. Me.”

The ants in my head began to do the Rumba. Something was seriously wrong with Zan. Wait a minute. Master? Holy Goddess, I was such an idiot. “That bastard cloned General Zan just like he did Giovanni Dragos and I’m pretty sure this fake Zan is carrying that undetectable explosive Mallox likes to use,”I cautioned, pistol in hand.

“Sonovabitch!” Derek drew his pistol.

Zan laughed maniacally. “Now you all die, and the galaxy is ours.”A transport beam suddenly locked on him, and the barely breathing Major. “You cannot stop us!” Zan’s clone shouted gleefully.

Ten seconds later, they were gone.

“Brace for impact,” Sariel warned.

Derek wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

A massive explosion shook the ship.

My gazed fixed on the monitors, and I sighed in relief. No hull breach or major damage to the ship.“I wonder how many clones have infiltrated our ranks?”

“A valid question and one that will be investigated with great diligence,” Zarek replied grimly.

Papi Sten shook his head in disgust. “It’s been a year since Zan’s behavior changed. I never thought to scan his life signs. If I had, I would have discovered he was a replicant.”

“Mallox’s bioengineering skills have improved. Zan easily passed through our bio-scanners. Every member of the crew is checked for implanted Peekay explosives before they are allowed to board the ship. A replicant would have been spotted immediately,”Sariel responded.

Zarek tapped his warrior’s bracelet and a three-dimensional picture of a squat humanoid with a rodent-like face and porcupine spines for hair appeared mid-air. “Since the Legionnaires ranks have been decimated, Mallox has been recruiting Hador mercenaries.”

Papi Sten snorted.“Those cowards are not a threat.”

“But they are able to travel where the Rodan cannot,”Sariel pointed out.

Zosia butted in,“The Shebu has been recovered. Now it is time for Mayhem and the War Commander to discover who gave the Rodan access to our breeding sanctuary.”

“Derek you are relieved of your duties until the perpetrators are found and brought to justice,”Zarek said.

Derek clamped his right arm to his chest. “Yes, my lord.”

Qa’a tentacle typed coordinates into my warrior’s bracelet. “We will meet you at this location in ten hours.”

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