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Many Cordracites purchased foodstuffs from the vendors who set up shop near the major business centers. This was especially true during the harvest season, when fresh fruits and vegetables were at their peak.

Of the three sacks in Shabik’s arms, one was full of the delicious, juicy fruit of the jaami tree. The second contained an assortment of leafy green vegetables; he had been careful to allow their tops to peek out of the bag, allaying any suspicions that might have arisen.

The third bag was full of death.

At a corner he had chosen ahead of time, Shabik stopped and waited for the hover shuttle. There were seven other Cordracites in line ahead of him already, females as well as males, but he wasn’t concerned about securing a place on the vehicle.

He had spent more than a week planning this, accumulating all the information he might need and then some. He knew how many seats were likely to be available on the shuttle this afternoon. He knew when it was likely to arrive at this corner-in another minute at the outside. He even knew the color of the driver’s eyes.

His fellow commuters didn’t need to be concerned with such things. However, Shabik did. Because, in truth, he wasn’t one of them. His actions were dictated by an entirely different agenda.

Twenty seconds after he began waiting for the shuttle, it turned a nearby corner and headed his way. Forty seconds after he began waiting, it stopped and allowed additional passengers to board.

And as luck would have it, there was a seat available for each and every one of them.

Shabik sat down in one of them. Then he leaned back and went over what he had to do. It was simple, really. But then, even simple plans had the potential to go awry.

Less than a minute later, the shuttle began to slow as it approached its next stop. Shabik rose. As the vehicle lurched to a halt and the door opened, he made his way through the thick press of bodies.

In the process, he exaggerated the awkwardness of his packages. Unfortunately, he played his part too well and he got himself wedged between one of the other commuters and a vertical bar.

“Excuse me?” he said pointedly.

“Oh! Terribly sorry,” the female apologized, turning her body so that Shabik could get by.

For an instant, their eyes met and he got a good look at her. She was lovely, her flesh a delicate shade of gray, her eyes as large and as yellow as their world’s magnificent sun.

Pity, Shabik thought. But what he said was “Thank you.”

As he made his way toward the door, the third package slid down his body and plopped onto the floor of the shuttle. He pretended not to notice, of course. As quickly as he could, he exited and disappeared into the crowd on the street.

But as the shuttle doors slid closed, he heard the female cry out. “Wait!” she said. “You dropped something!”

Shabik looked back again-and again, their eyes met Silently, he cursed her. If her comment gave him away—

No, he assured himself. It won’t. There won’t be enough time. Turning and picking up his pace a little, but not too much, he buried himself more deeply in the safety of the milling throng.

Shabik didn’t look back at the female or the shuttle, but the muscles beneath his shell were tight in anticipation. Come on, he thought. It should happen any—

Suddenly, there was an explosion.

Like everyone else, he stopped for a moment and watched the shuttle go up in a ball of wild, red flame. He allowed the heat of it to lick at his face like a lover. Then he drew a breath, put the cries of terror behind him and made his way to his private vehicle…

Mission accomplished.

Chapter eight

“MELACRONAI BEASTS!” RASPED SAMMIS TARV. “Is there no depth to which you will not stoop in your madness?”

On the two-level podium, Picard winced at the Cordracite delegate’s choice of words. They were not the sort he had hoped to hear at the Kellasian Congress’s morning session.

A moment later, the insult was joined by others. It was several cycles