The Treasure of Lei Fong Wu

Chapter Forty-Two

Julian tried not to stare at the wretched creature who was sobbing inconsolably on the deck in front of him. As interrogations went, this one had been less than productive.

It was bad enough that that idiot Fox had mangled what had been a perfectly straight-forward assignment. Julian was honestly sorry the man hadn’t survived the debacle at New Lesbos, because he had wanted the pleasure of killing him himself. Ordinarily he wasn’t so bloodthirsty, but when he saw the views of what the moron had done to the little village, his blood began to boil. Not only had he tipped off the prey to their attention, thus depriving him of a decent chance of surprising the Firefly, but he had criminally involved – and killed – innocent civilians. On top of that he had hired a sorry excuse for local talent to back him, and gotten them all killed as well. The only bright spot to the whole episode was this woman.

She had been one of the “bounty hunters” (if the term was used in its absolute loosest sense) Fox hired, or at least part of the same group. She was an ugly little thing, not more than ninety pounds soaking wet, a face like a hover-wreck, and she walked with a limp. She was devastated, having lost (apparently) a husband, a son, and a lover all in one fell swoop. Only her brother-in-law survived, and he was up on capital charges.

But she had tracked the Firefly as it fled, apparently with some idea of revenge. It was hard to say, honestly, what her plan had been. But she knew that ship was involved. And she was filled with the fire of vengeance. Repeatedly she had begged Julian to do her the courtesy of destroying the ship, enslaving the crew, and let her have her sadistic way with them before he collected his bounties.

That was a little much to ask, of course, but he did pay her handsomely for the information she had. The locals were of little use – all the video captures from the fight had been mysteriously erased, and for some reason the citizens of