The escort has arrived! Or has it? Shady warships, blunt messages, and a strange sense of urgency makes the situation rather tense. A lot of bad things could happen now, and really only a single good one. To Ejoq and his allies, those are definitely not attractive odds!

Arriving in the middle of nowhere, things are quiet and safe. There's plenty of time right now to get to know each other. Plenty of time for Ejoq to make a bad impression!

Safe at last! Except that the most intimidating confrontation of all looms ahead: a meeting with the new Patriarch of family Vernes!

(This is a revised version of the chapter, fixing some audio issues. Sorry for that!)

Help finally arrives, and Ejoq and the others are able to take a breath. New friends and new plans are made, but the greatest and scariest question of all still looms ahead: what will the Vernes say when they find out they're now at war?

Ejoq and his charges have made it aboard the freighter Josephina, and they're climbing out of the star system's gravity well. Nothing can stop them now...right?

Ejoq comes face-to-face with the enchanting and diabolical Lady Treisol! Compliments follow, as well as veiled threats; but a chase through the streets brings the most important question of all to the fore: how do you escape from someone who controls everything around you?

Ejoq makes a decision, and takes a bold step. Whatever happens next, there will be no going back!

(Sorry, folks! Got this one mixed up with Chapter 12. And since I inadvertently published 12 in this chapter's place the other day, I guess I may as well go ahead and publish 12 as well; this time where it's supposed to be.)

Ejoq confides in a local detective, hoping for insight and information. A shocking development, however, changes everything, and an old acquaintance reaches out from the past!

New star system, new cops, but the same old questions. Ejoq starts seeing a pattern, and it's not pretty!

The police have made their inquiries, and they're monstrous. Back on the ship, Ejoq finds that everyone thinks they know who he is, and what he's doing here. They're all wrong, of course, but...what if they're not?