When the commander and his men arrived, it didn"t take long for them to blast their way into the fortress and into the chamber where Casina was being held. They made short work of the men guarding her. But they knew the conflict was only just beginning. Once the marketeers discovered Casina missing, they knew they would soon come after them.

The pulsar blasts reverberated throughout the damp chamber, startling Casina awake. She felt weak and tired and had dozed briefly. She hadn"t realized how afraid she was at this most recent abduction. So many bad memories of being arrested, abused, and incarcerated at St. Christi"s had come flooding back...