Everything was quiet…so quiet it seemed even the chickens had stopped their clucking. The only sounds heard through the ship were the purring of the engine and the excited breathing of everyone in the cargo hold. The moment, although only a millisecond in length, seemed to stretch out into infinity.

All of Kane’s combat senses were alive and active. He could smell the fear, adrenalin, even stomach acid being secreted by those about him. He could even feel the pulse of the man before him reverberating through the pistol Kane had against his head. It was a slow steady throbbing, barely increased in this moment of tension.

Kane knew where everyone was, what they were doing and what they were likely to do if and when he pulled the trigger. He could see the fine beads of sweat forming on the operative’s forehead: not from fear, but from his own combat awareness. Kane knew the next moment could decide eternity for both him and the operative—none of which he wanted right now, but neither would he back away from it if needs be. His hand was steady, his aim solid. He knew that the moment he squeezed the trigger the man before him would drop. He also knew that within a moment after that, short of some sort of intervention, he would likely be dead too. But he could not and would not back away. His word had been given, his gun was now drawn, and the next moments would determine everything.

Through the tense stillness, Kane spoke, “So, it comes to this. I’m not looking to kill you or your boys, but I’m also not looking to have you walk off with any of my crew.

“I am a weapon, just like you. You know that. I am sure you know who I am, where I have been and the things I have done in my life. Not that I am proud of it, just stating the truth.

“You see your soldiers…I dropped hundreds of them from the other side during the war with less effort than I eat my breakfast. Those Browncoats fought hard in the war, but they had something to die for. Do your boys?

“You see my crew? They don’t want this either, but they