[pshrynk]

All eyes around the table were on the card as it slowly started to flip over. Harv looked around at the tells on his table partners once again. The babe was still the Ice Queen. Twitchy was still twitching and counting things under his breath. The American spy had a vacant look on his face, but that didn't mean anything, since he was playing a game of random numbers that had little to do with poker. And the fellow who had introduced himself as the American Ambassador to This Little Paradise was showing strongly that he was bluffing all the way.

The squid slapped the card down, its tentacle obscuring all but the suit - spades. Everyone around the table reacted strongly, even the babe. He leaned forward in his fake tell to show that he really needed this card to be something good. The tentacle started to pull back.

At that moment the door to the gaming room was kicked in off the hinges and a loud clatter arose from the hallway outside. Someone was screaming in German and another voice joined in in Japanese. Harv spun around and was, quite frankly surprised. And given everything else that had happened tonight, that also surprised him.

Marching into the gaming room in lock step march were about half a dozen large blond men with blue eyes, wearing what could only be described as a cheap Hollywood film's idea of Mexican peasant clothes. Riding on each of their shoulders were what appeared to be squirrels dressed in black pajamas, carrying blades about the size of a steak knife. Behind them were a small Japanese man dressed in a wool business suit, supporting an enormous woman in lederhosen, who was doing the screaming in German.

"Well, that's something you don't see every day," said Vivaldi, who was spitting out what might just have been a stick of dynamite.

"We can play fetch later," said Harv, distractedly, as the column of men made a parade right turn and headed right toward him. The American Ambassador yelped and dove under the table.

"Hey! There are explosives under here!" came a faint voice.

"Explosives! That must be the word! Hey Boss! There are explosives under all the chairs in here!"

Harv did not have much time to react, given that the first Storm Trooper had arrived and was swinging wildly at anyone in his way. The squirrels perched on his shoulders jumped at Harv, blades swinging in unison.