A Smijj of Strife — Erin Manning

Smijj, the fastest of the Twenty Telmaj, believes he will soon be ready to fight the Unified Government in order to end Telmaj slavery in the galaxy. Right now, he has a different kind of fight on his hands: Arkis just can't get along with Lucien, the newest member of the Twenty, and their constant bickering is taking a toll on Telmaj and Humans alike. When Devish gets a message from an old friend asking for a meeting, it seems like the kind of trip that will finally force Arkis and Lucien to work together and get along. Meanwhile, Smijj and some of his other friends head out into the galaxy to investigate a new threat -- is the Government planning to make a testing device like Brannon's that will help them find the rest of the Twenty? As Smijj and his friends head away from Telmaja, two of Smijj's oldest and deadliest enemies begin to put their own plans into motion. Major Javins has set a sinister trap for Smijj, and so has Jyles Oroque. And if either of them catches him, there may be no escape.