The folds in the void slowly smoothed out, restoring the space distorted by the Jump-Jump Engine. The Hope Rolls In, a warship converted from an asteroid, hovered silently on the outskirts of the Mandragora System like a cunning space flea, blending into the countless cold rocks around it.
Inside the cockpit, Liu Zhipeng's figure re-formed from a brilliant mass of golden light, taking on his preferred human shape. He felt a pulse from the [Primordial Quickening] embryo deep within his soul, much like a contented belch, and a satisfied smile spread across his face.
"Big Boss! Big Boss! You're back!" Chief Big Mek Ghazghk crawled out from behind a heap of sparking control consoles. Engine oil and excited sweat covered his green face, and his two little yellow eyes shone like searchlights. "Told ya my Jump-Jump Engine was the most reliable! So? Got the treasure inside 'safely stored'?"
"Very safely stored." Liu Zhipeng leaned lazily back in the captain's chair. "And we helped an old friend along the way."
"An old friend?" Ghazghk scratched his nearly hairless head, looking baffled.
Liu Zhipeng offered no explanation, only a mysterious smile. He could imagine how spectacular the scene would be when Imotekh opened the dimensional trap he had personally set, only to find Trazyn inside, wrapped up as a "parcel."
"All right, forget about that." Liu Zhipeng's smile faded, his expression turning serious. "Ghazghk, we have a more important task next. The Sautekh Dynasty was only the appetizer. Our real target is that fellow-the Silent King, Szarekh."
"The S-Silent King?!" The wrench in Ghazghk's hand fell to the floor with a clang, sending sparks flying. His little yellow eyes went wide, and his voice rose in pitch. "Boss, you ain't joking, are ya?! He's the head boss of all those tin cans!