Book 12: Force Multiplication

Hand-delivery of a wedding invitation drops Schlock, Bunni, Para, Legs, and Tailor into the middle of a drug war. They didn't start it, but they just might end it.

Part III: Fight or Flight
The team at Haven Hive create a plan to deal with the events, with Bunnigus givign a quick training to Tino along with cutting the hair of his gang affiliation. Schlock and Ennebasy perform an initial infiltration of the Serial Beggar, learning of Professor Pau and Maximillian's involvement of the ongoing scheme.

Kathryn Flinders was likewise attempting to escape via the Serial Beggar, under the ruse that they would let her leave normally. After they attempted to rob her, Maximillian arrived to instead interrogate her, resulting in his first death. Flinders has a change of heart again, then escapes using the plasma gun rocket tactic.

Schlock captures Pau, who insists that Shepard wasn't supposed to have been taken due to an arrangement. He shows the Happifun Rec-Deck, where individuals are used for farming medical nannies from bloated individuals. When Pau's forces ambush Schlock, Kathryn arrives to neutralize the eight powered guards. Bunniges team arrives soon after.

Major Murtaugh and her team from Sanctum Adroit investigates the Beggar's Bay, recovering Max's now recovering body. After capturing Ventura and having two robots escort her to the ship, she commands a flanking force to arrest the Tagon's Toughs who quickly overwhelm them and force a surrender. She then arrests Max, for suspicion that he is part of a criminal conspiracy. However, Max manages to subjorn Tarfeather and plans his escape.

When the arrestees are returned to Beggar's Bay, Major Murtaugh realizes that there's an issue. She fires on Tarfeather, only to discover that he is shielded. She spots Max near the ship, stopped shortly after boarding by Ventura who subjorned a few bots herself. Murtaugh attempts to recapture her two prisoners, but her team is pinned down by goober gun cannons from the gunship. The tagon toughs manage to escape, with a stray shot destroying the bus, and Ventura ordering Schlock's plasma cannon destroyed to minimize collateral damage.

In the aftermath of the battle, Para disarms the bomb that Max tried setting up. In her cleanup, she takes control of the gunship Bristlecone, leaves the robots behind as free citizens (paid for as compensation).

In the debriefing, Major Murtaugh acceptance of the compensation was treated as a bribe resulting in her termination. As for Max, Colonel Menendez permits him to be recalled to the "seamy crotch" of some intelligence agency.

The wedding will go on as planned.