| Synopsis | - Pinup on back cover.
- One evening Chancellor Ranjamaryam, the Princes chancellor, runs through the deserted nighttime streets of Madripoor lowtown chased by two men: One strong muscled man and a gaunt old man in sun glasses. They chase him to the ground and he begs them to spare him, that he will give them anything they want. Men bound by honor to their employer, they refused the chancellor's offers and slay him. Ranjamaryam's body is pulled out of the harbor later by Police Chief Tai, and attracts the attention of Patch, who comes to do his own investigation because Ranj was an old friend of his. When asking Tai about the murder he learns that Prince Baran was planning on naming Tyger Tiger as the new crimelord of Madripoor, and that someone might not be taking too kindly to this appointment. Patch decides to go off to follow his own leads gained from his investigation of Ranj's corpse.
Meanwhile at the airport hanger owned by South Seas Skyways, it's owner and primary pilot Archie Corrigan is being confronted by the men who killed Ranjamaryam. They introduce themselves as Roughouse and Bloodsport, and they warn him against taking business from Tyger Tiger. Bloodscream places his hand on Corrigan's hand causing him extreme pain and leaving his hand print on the man's body. They depart repeating their warning and advising him that if he takes another delivery for Tyger again they will come for his life.
Tracking Ranj's scent, Logan tracks it back to the chancellor's home where he slips past the armed guards. Inside there is a table set for two, and upon finding a woman's handkerchief locks on the scene, realizing who it belongs to Logan realizes that this complicates things. He tracks the scent to a classy hotel in Uppertown and in the room his fears are proven correct when he finds the New Mutant, Karma sleeping in the room. Without revealing himself to her he asks her what she is doing there. She explains that she is duty bound to help her uncle General Nguyen Ngoc Coy, and she is horrified when Logan informs her that the chancellor was murdered earlier this evening. Departing, he warns her to sort out her loyalties as she will be forced to suffer the consequences.
The next day in Lowertown, Lindsay McCabe and Jessica Drew are strolling through the central bazaar when their shopping is interrupted by Roughouse who attempts to charm the ladies into joining him for dinner before Bloodscream tells him that they have work to be done. As he walks away he offers the ladies a night on the town. Jessica is about give him a piece of her mind when Lindsay talks her out of doing it considering that Roughouse is "built like a brick". Their attention is soon turned to screams down the street where they see a bloody woman collapse to the ground. Learning where the woman came from, Jessica sprints off and uses her remaining Spider-Woman powers to gain access to the building. Inside she sees the aftermath of a massacre, and the message "Tyger is dead" scrawled on the wall in blood. Returning to Lindsay, Jessica finds that the girl is dead and tells her friend that they could be standing on the brink of a full fledged drug war.
Later at the Princess Bar, Patch, Lindsay and Jessica compare notes with each other and they decide that the key to stopping Coy from starting a gang war would be to find a way to defeat his enforcers and free Karma from whatever hold Coy has over her. As they are discussing how continued attacks would begin to effect Tyger Tiger's criminal empire, Tyger enters the room and is introduced to Lindsay and Jessica She has come to ask Patch to accompany her to her summons to the Prince's palace, a request that Logan takes up.
Along the way the two are attacked by Roughouse and Bloodscream, who smash Tyger's car. As Roughouse beats on Logan, Tyger is attacked by Bloodscream. When Bloodscream grabs her, Patch notices that she bleeds at his touch and decides to use his claws. Before he can do so, Roughouse comes up behind and cold clocks him. Before the battle can carry on further, Karma arrives and uses her powers to keep Bloodscream and Roughouse at bay while Logan revives and takes Tyger Tiger with him. Released from Karma's control the two enforcers have no idea what had just transpired. Patch takes Tyger to the place where Jessica and Lindsay are staying and ask them to take Tyger to one of the many safe houses in the area while he deals with matters. When Jessica is hesitant to aid a criminal, Logan tells her that although Tyger is a crime lord she doesn't deal in drugs or slaves, and that her predecessor Roch did, and that Tyger is the lesser of two evils. Logan then travels out to South Sea Airways and calls in Tyger's marker to make Archie help him with a favor. Archie is reluctant to help and more likely to put a shotgun blast into Logan but decides to hear him out.
While at the hotel where General Coy is staying he explains to Karma that with the removal of Roch from the Madripoor underworld he can now move in and consolidate his power. He is soon visited by Bloodscream and Roughouse who report that they failed to murder Tyger, but because Bloodscream tasted her blood, he can track her anywhere. Coy is less than impressed by this as he has the Prince's favor presently but it may be limited should this problem continue to carry on. When he learns that Patch had left the island with Corrigan he believes that Patch is more likely going to attack his Opium crops on the mainland rather than flee for his life and hopes that Corrigan's loyalty to him will remain steadfast, and begins planning an appropriate welcome just in case. Coy then proposes a toast to the death of his enemies, a toast that Karma reluctantly drinks to. When her uncle and his strong-men leave, she breaks the wine glass in her hand, as she stares at her bleeding hand in tears she wonders what she is going to do.
This story is continued next issue...
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