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While Shalimar and Wynn went to go find the others, Dai hacked into the demon's computer systems. Seeing several ships had a self-destruct program built in, Dai grinned, "Well innit that nice of them?"

"Very shiny," Broden said, stepping up next to Dai and peering over her shoulder. Pointing at one of the readouts, he said, "That would be the best one to send packin' back home...and then blowin' up."

"What've you got there scar-boy?" Dai asked, glancing around and seeing Broden dragging a half conscious demon.

"Scar?" Broden asked, feigning bewilderment. "Oh, you mean my beauty marks that add to the prettiness of my face."

"How about you answer my question," Dai said.

"I figure we question him a bit is all," Broden replied. "If'n he's still conscious that is." Shaking the demon, he said, "Hey, you still awake?"

The demon groaned something gutteral.

"Well that isn't very nice," Broden said. "Apologize to the lady."

"Lady," the demon scoffed. "Bah. She wouldn't even make half of what our other fleabag stock would."

"How do you like that," Broden said. "Still spry on the edge of death."

Grabbing the demon away from Broden, Dai spun him around and slammed him into a wall. "I ought to strap you to the nose of yon space ship for that comment."

"Do it," Broden said. "No one's stoppin' ya."

"No," Dragon said as she and the others appeared. "We need to find out where their homeworld is."

"No need," Dai replied. "Their computers are quite detailed with flight plans. Apparently, the big one was scheduled to take off with a load of nubile slaves. Your friend Rose was scheduled to be among them--that is until the kitsunes raided the place."

"You guys really aren't having a good week," Broden said to the demon. "First you're raided by a clan of kitsunes, then you're raided by a clan of dragons. If you're not careful, friend, you're going to have other kinds just linin' up to rip you apart."

The demon hissed something so gutteral that it made one feel soiled.

Setting her fist on fire, Nogard punched through the demon's chest and pulled out its spine. Tossing it aside as the demon collapsed, she said, "That's a really awesome insult--I've got to remember that one."

"Dai," Dragon said, looking at the mammal dragon, "light it up."

"Love ta," Dai replied, winking. Turning back to the control panel, Dai quickly entered autopilot instructions to have the spaceship return to its home port and then blow up.

"We want the whole planet gone, yes?" Nogard asked. "Not just the city?"

"The whole planet," Dragon confirmed. "And any other slavers within signal range of this ship."

"I can make a trojan to infect the slaver's networked computers," Dai said, her fingers flying on the keyboard. "But the whole 'exploding the planet' thing--"

"Leave that to me," Nogard said, walking over to the slaveship. "What size is the planet?"

"Class C," [1] Dai replied.

Placing her hand on the ship's hull, Nogard closed her eyes and began to concentrate. After a few minutes, she grinned. "I put enough energy in there to take out a small Class A [2]."

"Mite overkill," Broden said. "But overkill has never really been a bad thing."

------------------------

With the slaver's ship returning home to destroy the planet--and an explosive installed computer virus infecting any slavership within range of the doomed craft--the group headed for Green Shade.

"I thought I told you to power down," Dragon said to Dai. She was still in her humanish form.

"They're going to be more apt to trust a mammal than they will a giant lizard," Dai said. "Besides, as long as I don't go into my dragon form, they won't suspect anything other than I have an unusual amount of mana."

"Fine," Dragon said as they approached the gate. "You and Nogard are not allowed to talk."

When they were near enough to the gates, Dragon hailed the guard. "Salutations, dear sai. My name is Dragon, and I have an invite from Sai Sahm to attend the coronation of Sai Rose. I believe some of my family has already arrived?"

"Yes," Lial said. "We have placed them in available quarters."

"Good," Dragon said. "Would you do me a favor, sai? Would you please inform Sai Sahm that I would wish to speak with him when he has the chance?"

[3]