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“Then again, Eyar won’t get there for a while yet. No hurry.”

“One could make money in the Southern Underground on Coruscant, if one was, say, in need of a dowry,” I-Five said. “And I wouldn’t mind a partner to keep authorities from worrying over my ownership. Galling as I find such a subterfuge, it’s sometimes necessary.”

Den nodded. There were always easy marks to be found at the sabacc tables in places like the Outlander Club. No harm in making some creds while he thought about Eyar’s offer some more…

He looked up at the droid. “I-Five,” he said, “I think this could be the beginning of a profitable relationship.”

EPILOGUE

Later, after the others had left the room, Jos Vondar and Tolk le Trene held each other and watched the starfield through the viewport as the ship left the Drongan system. “You’re sure you want to do this?” she asked.

He nodded. “I’m sure. Are you?”

She grinned. “Where you go, I go. Just promise me that I don’t have to be the cook or the maid.”

“If it gets too tough, we won’t stay,” Jos said. “I won’t make you live the life of a pariah. But I owe it to my family—and to you—to at least try.”

A voice came from behind them. “You’ll have one family member on your side, at least.” Surprised, Jos turned to see Great-Uncle Erel smiling at them from the doorway.

“I’ve requested reassignment to Borellos Base on Corellia,” he said. “If you can go back there and face this prejudice down, Jos, I can hardly do less.”

Jos stared incredulously. “You’re serious?”

“Absolutely. I’ve spent practically my entire life alone. Now that I’ve finally found some family, I’m not going to give it up.”

Tolk hugged him. “Welcome home, then, Uncle Erel.”

And, looking at the two of them, his betrothed and his uncle, Jos realized that, in one respect at least, all the fighting and hunting done on Drongar for the miracle drug of the age had been pointless. Because the real panacea for the troubles that plagued humanity or any other sentient species, organic, cybernetic, clone or otherwise, had already been discovered, millennia ago, back when sentients still peered suspiciously up at the stars. Call it the Force, call it love, call it what you will—Jos knew that it could be found, not in the swamps of a distant world, but in the unexplored reaches of the heart.

The comm crackled. A voice warned them to prepare for the jump to hyperspace. Jos took Tolk’s hand as the ship’s hyperdrive activated, and then they hurtled away from the Rim, toward the bright center of the galaxy.

By Steve Perry

The Tularemia Gambit

Civil War Secret Agent

The Man Who Never Missed Matadora

The Machiavelli Interface

The 97th Step

The Albino Knife

Black Steel

Brother Death

Conan the Fearless

Conan the Defiant

Conan the Indomitable

Conan the Free Lance

Conan the Formidable

Aliens: Earth Hive

Aliens: Nightmare Asylum

Aliens: The Female War (with Stephani Danelle Perry)

Aliens vs. Predator: Prey (with Stephani Danelle Perry)

Spindoc

The Forever Drug

Stellar Rangers

Stellar Rangers: Lone Star

The Mask

Men in Black

Leonard Nimoy’s Primortals Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire The Trinity Vector

The Digital Effect

Windowpane

Tribes: Einstein’s Hammer

The Musashi Flex

Titan AE (with Dal Perry)

Isaac Asimov’s I-Bots: Time Was (with Gary Braunbeck)

By Steve Perry with Tom Clancy & Steve Pieczenik

Net Force

Net Force: Hidden Agendas Net Force: Night Moves

Net Force: Breaking Point

Net Force: Point of Impact

Net Force: CyberNation

Net Force: State of War (also with Larry Segriff)

Net Force: Changing of the Guard (also with Larry Segriff)

By Michael Reaves

The Burning Realm

The Shattered World

Darkworld Detective

I—Alien

Street Magic

Night Hunter

Voodoo Child

Star Wars: Darth Maul—Shadow

Hunter

Hell on Earth

Armageddon Blues (forthcoming)

Dragonworld (with Byron Preiss)

Anthologies

Shadows Over Baker Street (co-edited with John Pelan)

By Michael Reaves & Steve Perry

Sword