“What’s it going to be, major?!”

The edge in the as yet unidentified intruder’s voice was unmistakable. Even Yili could tell the man was in a rush for some reason. His face looked drawn and his fingers were white around the grip of his blaster pistol.

“I can’t speak for the entire ship, colonel. I’m not in command.”

“Well then who is!?”

At that moment a faint greenish glow appeared all across the colonel’s body. It flickered and shifted back and forth a few times before focusing bright and sharp. It was a targeting matrix. The intruder looked down at his shoes and pants.

“What the–?”

By now he was covered in a pattern of two-inch-square glowing green targeting lines. From somewhere nearby, Yili and Moo felt and heard sympathetic vibrations in the floor and walls. The nearby observation window darkened.

“That’s a drive field,” Yili muttered.

A moment later, the unmistakable sleek lines of a Two-Gen Yellowjacket fighter rose into view outside the Skywatch access bay observation port. It was roughly the size of three racing boats parked side by side, and the sharp leading edges of its weapons emplacements made it look like an angry metal bird of prey. On its forward edge was the proud emblem of Argent Squadron Four - the Tigersharks.

At its controls was Captain Jason Hunter.

A blinding green targeting laser illuminated the shocked colonel’s face and then performed a mass and position scan of his entire body. The fighter’s short range guns rolled out of their inboard weapons bays and locked into place. The targeting grid reflected from the colonel’s jacket and clothing shifted red. Hunter’s voice came over the intraship.

“I believe I have you covered, colonel.”

The intruder did not speak. He looked as if he were trying to catch his breath.

“Major, relieve the colonel of his weapon and take him into custody.”

Moo activated his commlink. “All due respect, sir, he’s holding a detonator.”

“It was a bluff, Moo. He’s just trying to buy himself time. His co-saboteurs have been cut off, and we’ve got some fascinating information about the little operation going on all the way out here at Shangri-la.”