Page 74 of Alien Mercenary's Wife
Two more operatives moved on Hughes and Mason simultaneously. "Hughes, Daniel. Mason, Charlotte. You're also under arrest for conspiracy and sedition against federal interests."
"This is insane!" Mason snarled, but didn't resist as they cuffed her. "We're veterans seeking medical compensation!"
T'Raal hit the courthouse steps at a dead run, covering ground in desperate strides. But more operatives appeared from concealment, moving to intercept him. Too many, too well-coordinated.
A taser caught him in the middle of his chest. Electricity coursed through his nervous system, muscles seizing as he crashed to the stone steps. Through blurred vision, he saw all three veterans being dragged toward separate waiting vehicles.
"T'Raal!" Reese's voice carried a note of desperation as she fought against the operatives forcing her toward an armored transport."T'Raal!"
Hughes stumbled, his damaged leg giving out, but the operatives hauled him upright and continued toward a secondvehicle. Mason fought harder, but she was outnumbered and outgunned.
He tried to rise, tried to reach them, but his body wouldn't obey. The taser's aftereffects left him twitching on the courthouse steps while corporate operatives completed their mission like a well-oiled machine.
"Terrorist conspiracy charges," the lead operative announced loudly enough for nearby reporters to hear. "Multiple counts of sedition and conspiracy against federal interests."
Complete fabrication. A show for the media.
T'Raal watched helplessly as they forced all three veterans into separate transports. Reese met his eyes through her vehicle's window, mouthing words he couldn't hear but understood anyway.
Find me.
The transports pulled away from the courthouse in different directions, quickly disappearing into urban traffic. Around them, courthouse security finally responded to the commotion, but the real operatives had already vanished.
T'Raal rolled onto his side, feeling returning to his limbs as the taser's effects faded. His comm crackled with Red's voice, sharp with concern.
"Boss? Boss, I lost visual on your position. What's your status?"
Before he could answer, boots surrounded him. Three operatives formed a loose circle, weapons trained on his position. The one who'd tasered him was frowning at his scanner.
"That's impossible," the operative muttered. "Taser hit him dead center. He should be down for another ten minutes minimum."
T'Raal pushed himself to his knees, then stood with fluid grace. The operatives stepped back, suddenly uncertain. They hadn't counted on Latharian physiology.
"Stay down!" one of them barked, raising his weapon. "Don't move!"
He straightened to his full height, towering over the humans. His hood had fallen back during the fall, revealing distinctly alien features that made the operatives exchange nervous glances.
"Shit," someone whispered. "He's Lathar."
The lead operative was frantically working his scanner, running facial recognition protocols. The device beeped, then beeped again, cycling through databases with increasing urgency.
"What's the readout?" another operative demanded.
"That's... that can't be right." The scanner operator's face had gone pale. "Facial match confirmed. Database shows Imperial clearance. High-level diplomatic immunity."
"Diplomatic immunity?" The team leader looked confused and increasingly worried. "What the hell is Imperial nobility doing at a terrorism arrest?"
T'Raal said nothing, enjoying their confusion. Somewhere in the Imperial databases, his biometric signature was flagged with protections he'd never asked for.
"Sir," the team leader said, holstering his weapon with apparent reluctance. "We... apologize for the misunderstanding. You're free to go."
"Of course I am," T'Raal growled.
The operatives stepped back, creating a clear path away from the courthouse. They watched him leave with expressions that mixed relief and concern—relief that they wouldn't have to explain attacking Imperial nobility, concern about what kind of diplomatic incident they might have just avoided.
T'Raal walked away from the courthouse where three innocent veterans had just been disappeared by corporate killers. His comm crackled again.
"Boss? What's your status?"
