By force of arms

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For my dearest Marjorie ...

Here’s to the Lizard!

Acknowledgments

My thanks go to Joel Davis, coauthor of Mirror Matter for the concept of “White Holes,” and how to harness them, to Dr. Sheridan Simon for his help in building this particular universe, and legionnaires past, present, and future. Vive la Legion.

Chapter 1

Distasteful though it may be, one stroke of the assassin’s axe may have an effect greater than that produced by a large number of troops.

Grand Marshal Nimu WurlaKa (ret.)

Instructor,HudathanWarCollege

Standard year 1957

Planet Earth, the Confederacy of Sentient Beings

The assassin moved quietly, as if her life depended on it, which it definitely did. The house had been constructed more than five hundred years before, back whenPortugal was a nation rather than an Administrative Region (AR), and the floorboards had a tendency to squeak. The killer paused for a moment, assured herself that it was safe to move, and gestured to her companions. They wore black hoods, black bodysuits, and black slippers. They glided over the hardwood floor.

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