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weapons. I had only seconds to act before they would recover.
    As they started to get up, I knocked them back down in an effort to group them together so I could train my weapons on all of them at once. There was a brief scuffle as two of them tried to jump me from behind. They were a bit sluggish as the effects of the stun grenade wore off, making it easy for me to bat them aside with my tail.
    There were just too many of them for me to subdue gently, and I was about to start getting more aggressive with my attacks when Narcion and the magi came around the corner. Narcion yelled, “Yield!”
    One of them pulled out a gun he had concealed on his person, but before he could aim, I shot my hand out to grab his wrist and flung him hard into the wall. There was a satisfying crunch as his body hit the surface. He slid down the wall and did not move again.
    “Who’s next?” I asked with an intentional growl in my voice.
    The remaining five looked at their fallen partner and took off at a run. I started to give chase, but Narcion said, “Let them go.”
    “Why?” I asked.
    “Because they are not our target, and at the moment we have no way of knowing if they are good guys or bad guys,” he said.
    “How are we defining ‘good guys?’” asked Felix.
    “Good question,” answered Narcion. “Now, let’s get back to our plan. I will take the lead. Zah’rak, you take the rear. We don’t stop till we get closer to our destination. Got it?”
    I would have liked an answer to that question, but I knew our current position was exposed, and the five who had run off would probably come back with more weapons. We needed to move out.
    The magi stayed between us and we had to slow our normal pace for them. As we moved through the corridors, I noticed that we did not seem to be heading to the mess hall as we had planned. In fact, we seemed to be moving away from it. I wanted to catch up with Narcion and ask him what was up, but I dared not leave my post at the rear of the line. Eventually Narcion halted the line and beckoned us all to group together again.
    “We’re getting close to our target. Be extra careful; if we are going to hit trouble, it will be now,” said Narcion.
    “Narcion, I must be lost, then. I do not think we are anywhere near the mess hall,” I said.
    “No, you are correct. We are just outside Central Command,” he said. “While you were gone, Felix suggested that we might be able to communicate with the computer core from there and avoid having to breach their defenses.”
    “That makes sense, but I thought all communication was compromised,” I commented.
    “Yes; so this may end up being a waste of time, but it’s worth trying,” said Narcion. “Felix, are you sure your command codes will be enough to get us past the defenses?”
    “Unless they have changed them, they should work,” said Felix.
    “Then go. We will cover you from here,” he said.
    As Felix turned the corner I heard a computerized voice warn him to stay back. For a few tense moments he negotiated with the computer, and then I heard: “Access granted.”
    “Move!” called out Narcion and we all charged around the corner into Central Command. “Quickly, re-establish the defenses and then give me command access.”
    “Shields reinstated! We are safe,” said Felix.
    “No, we are not,” I said. I could feel a chill in the room but could see no enemy. I closed my eyes and concentrated on the feeling. Soon I could see the room around me and the people in it, even though my eyes were still closed. The room looked distinctly different. The magi and Narcion were defined sharply in bright colors, but the instruments and equipment were as bland as could be.
    I did not have time to contemplate what that could mean, as I saw a wraith sweeping down from above towards the back of one of the magi. I leapt from my position, batted the magus aside, and planted my shoulder into the chest of the wraith. It screamed with pain as I pinned it to