A young human woman in clothes styled to resemble a starfighter pilot?s jumpsuit and jacket but made of crinkly gold cloth, her hair a more striking and unnatural red than Face?s, bumped into Face, made a vague noise of apology, and hurried past, continuing onward toward the exit. Voort scowled at Face. ?I saw that.? ?Of course you did.? ?What did she slip you?? Face reached into a suit coat pocket and drew out a datapad. It was small, its once-gleaming surface scratched and dull. ?This. It?s wired to overheat and ignite in about three minutes.? ?Well, then, don?t hold it in your mouth.?
Del Rey's Star Wars team will continue posting mini-excerpts from upcoming novels on their Facebook page every Thursday. Star Wars: Mercy Kill will be released by Del Rey Books on August 7th, 2012.