The Chamber of the Grand Council of the Great Ocean was not particularly accessible for non-amphibious creatures. There were, to be fair, rooms in the complex where Titans, Avartle, and Ler could meet with the leaders of the Dunnermac people on solid ground, but this was a situation that necessitated diplomacy.

“Do not be upset, Ler-Ambassador-to-the-Dunnermac. We will not be wearing breathing gear for long,” The-People’s-Ambassador-to-the-Dunnermac said.

LerTrrankgh grimaced, and said in a modulated tone, “I will endure it, furry ambassador, it is only right.” Trrankgh was one of the most respected of all Ler consuls; though it still felt wrong to her, she had learned to bring her volume down low when speaking to the Avartle, Titans, and Dunnermac. At least, she had in diplomatic situations.

She envied the Avartle who swam ahead of her; The-People’s-Ambassador-to-the-Dunnermac was wearing simple breathing gear, perfectly acceptable for the shallow waters that contained the chamber. Alas, Trrankgh had to be able to speak; she did not have the advantage of being able to sign her words in the Avartle style, or speak in ultrasonic waves, like the Dunnermac. And so she wore an awkward helmet with a speaker attached; it would have to do, she supposed.

They swam forward into the chamber, where three of the members awaited them. The High Councilor, Tara Tian (well, her name was not really Tara Tian – it was completely unpronounceable outside of the water. But like almost all Dunnermac, she had adopted a “land-dweller name” to deal with her counterparts), nodded in greeting; she floated at her customary station, flanked by the heads of the Dunnermac Science Council and the Dunnermac Justice Council.

“Greetings, The-People’s-Ambassador-to-the-Dunnermac. Greetings, LerTrrankgh. We are honored by your presence,” High Councilor Tian said – at least, that is how what she communicated would translate.

“We have come to express our condolences on your loss, High-Councilor-of-the-Dunnermac. The People are truly sorry.”

“It is an outrageous crime, and we would wish a speedy death on those responsible who still live,” Trrankgh said, “but we know the Dunnermac would not want that.”

“We would not,” Tian said, though between her tight smile and the colors she radiated in ultraviolet, it was clear that she was not offended. “Your sentiment is welcomed, however, for we appreciate what that means to you. And we also thank you, The-People’s-Ambassador-to-the-Dunnermac, for your kind words.”

“Have the People-from-Archavia expressed their condolences?” the Avartle asked.

“They have. The Floor Leader and the Emperor have both contacted the Council to express their sorrow, and promise that those responsible – other than the woman that died – will be brought to justice.”

“We will see,” Trrankgh growled. “The only Titan hurt was responsible for her own death, and yet our representatives say it is her death that brings anger to Archavia!”

“The People have heard somewhat different, Ler-Ambassador-to-the-Dunnermac. Representative-for-the-Western-People has communicated that their anger is not that Killer-of-Dunnermacs-and-Humans has died, but over whether Human-Killer-of-Killer-of-Dunnermacs-and-Humans should be killed for its defense of itself.”

“That is what Rep. Sezhow has told us as well, Ambassadors,” Tian said.

“That is outrageous!” Trrankgh said in her normal tone, then dropped it. “Apologies, High Councilor. My emotion….”

“It is reasonable to be emotional,” Tian said (a human or Titan would have sworn they heard her sigh). “It is not just that it was our roe – though that is a grave crime, indeed – but that they also were eating Class Two Sentient Beings as if they were krill. One wonders, if the laws were changed, how many would wear Avartle pelts, or Ler-skin boots?”

“I am almost surprised,” Trrankgh growled, “that they did not find some of our eggs to dine on, as well.”

“It is disturbing, Leader-of-the-High-Council. Most disturbing.”

Tian looked thoughtful for a moment, as if considering what she was about to say. Finally, she nodded. “Have you ever considered that the Humans may not be Class Two creatures?”

“They are too adorable and tiny! How could they be our equals?” Trrankgh said. But she was surprised when her fellow ambassador shrugged her second set of shoulders.

“It may be, Leader-of-the-High-Council, though I find it hard to believe. Still…we are told by the People-of-Archavia that they are not, but I know the College-in-the-Place-Where-Decisions-Are-Made has wanted to study human intelligence. They do not trust the People-of-Archavia to study it fairly.”

“Indeed,” Tian said. “Let us not forget, it was many years before Dunnermac or Ler were accepted as Class One Sentient Beings. And the Avartle….”

“The People will never forget that the People-of-Great-Ocean made it possible for us to be seen as we were,” the Avartle Ambassador said.

“The pathetic humans are not Class One creatures. And even if the puny humans are as smart as the mighty Ler, the wise Dunnermac, and the brave Avartle, what does it change? They are still weak.” Trrankgh said.

“It changes nothing. Not today,” Tian said. “It is something we must consider for the future, and I ask that you communicate my thoughts to Those-Who-Make-Decisions-for-the-People and LerBlrrrankg. As for this case, with this particular human, I believe we must stand united and say that he has the right to defend his life when under attack, as all creatures, sentient or not, must.”

“It is basic to all creatures, be they mighty or weak – they will fight when cornered, even when it is hopeless,” Trrankgh said. “Punishing that is like punishing the rock for being hard.”

“And if the right of this human to defend itself is ignored, we do not know where that path may lead. It was not long ago that Non-Titan-People-of-the-Empire were assumed guilty when a Titan was killed, no matter the truth.”

“So we are agreed?” Tian asked.

“Certainly, wise High Councilor,” Trrangkh said.

“The People will agree, I am sure,” the Avartle said.

“Good. I will instruct Rep. Sezhow that the non-Titan bloc should line up in support of the human, and put pressure on the government to help free the human. Now, land-dwelling friends, go and take off your breathing gear; your condolences are accepted and appreciated. May we meet in happier times.”

Tian nodded to her fellow councilors as the Ler and Avartle Ambassadors departed. She was far from certain that the humans were truly the equals of the peoples of the Empire. But even if the humans were not as smart as Titans or Dunnermac or Ler or Avartle, they were sentient creatures. They had an inherent dignity, and if the Titans wouldn’t defend them, it was up to her and her people to do so.

* * *

Astes Leffen stared out over the Bay of Leni from the deck of his palatial home. It was what he’d been doing most of the time. Ever since….

He covered his face, and his thoughts stayed on a single track. How had she thought…why would she…oh, Keeran, my darling baby girl, why? Why were you there? Why didn’t you call me? I could have introduced you in a more civil manner. If you’d told me you wanted to study Hive Prime, I could have talked to them, made the arrangements, found you a guide, gotten you in and out quickly and safely. But you had to be my daughter. You had to go into the korabt’s den, and now….

“Dad?”

Astes set down his Hustain, and turned to look at his oldest daughter. His only daughter, now.

“Hi, Jo,” he said, quietly. “How are you holding up.”

“I’m sick of the news. Gorram…you’d think Keeran actually killed someone, the way they carry on, those bastards….”

She sighed, and sniffled. “I keep expecting her to show up, and sigh and roll her eyes, and tell us that she had it all handled, it was all part of her plan. She always had a plan, you know?”

Astes got up, and hugged his daughter tight, letting her cry it out. He would have joined her, but he’d cried until tears would come no more. Now he was just numb. There was nothing left to feel. He supposed, in time, he’d start to feel again. Someday Jotoll would get married, he and Iari would have grandkids…but there’d always be a hole, a dead patch in his spirit. He was starting to understand that it would never go away…and that he’d never want it to.

Jotoll rubbed her eyes. “Sorry,” she said. “Actually, I came to get you. There’s someone downstairs.”

Astes set his jaw. “How in the name of the Emperor is someone downstairs? Those guards, why do I pay them? He give a name?”

“Siabo Snyusia, I think.”

Astes stopped dead, and if he could feel his heart, he’d know it had dropped into his stomach. “SIabo Snyusia? You’re sure?”

“Yeah, he was wearing a fancy suitcoat, said you’d know who he was.”

Astes walked over to the table by his seat, grabbed the Hustain, and downed it in one swallow.

“Look in on your mother, Jo. And whatever you do, don’t mention this visitor. I’ll be right back,” he said.

Astes checked his pocket stunner – not strictly legal for civilian use. Or remotely legal, for that matter. He regarded it carefully, then put it back in his jacket, safety on. He’d be better off not using it. No matter what Snyusia was here for.

He rounded the corner into the Great Room, and saw the man. He was tall, thin. You could tell he had once been handsome, and he still had the veneer of it, but he was graying at the temples now, and his skin seemed pulled just a little too tight, his chin just a little too angular. His suitcoat and trousers, however, were finely-tailored and, if Astes did not miss his guess, made of natural fibers.

“Mr. Leffen,” Siabo said, reaching out a bony hand. “I am so very sorry for your loss. As are my clients.”

Astes wanted very much to punch Siabo, but instead he reached out and grabbed the man’s wrist. “Thank you, Mr. Snyusia. Would you care to join me in my office? I’d prefer not to bother my wife. You can understand.”

“Of course,” Siabo said, with a rigid smile. “I am sure you’d like to keep this…discrete.”

Leffen walked into his office, and gestured to the chair opposite his desk. He closed the door, and mag-locked it. Then he entered another, activating electromagnetic shielding that should keep his office safe from any prying eyes, at least for a while.

“Would you care for a drink, Mr. Snyusia?”

“Call me Siabo, please, and no, thank you, Mr. Leffen.”

“Please, call me Astes.”

“Thank you.” Siabo waited patiently for his host to sit.

“So, Siabo…I think I can guess why you’re here.”

“Indeed. But first, I should ask – your business? Going well, I hear?”

Astes breathed out slowly. “Quite well.”

“Good. Your daughter, may she sleep softly, had said as much at the dinner. May you have continued success.”

“Thank you,” Astes said.

“Now, on to other matters. My clients…well, you know how they are. They do not really understand your loss the way I do. But I want to assure you, Astes, that I do indeed understand. I have a son and a daughter. The idea of losing either…I would rather tear off my arm. I know you must feel as if fate has turned on you.”

Astes leaned back. “My daughter,” he said, summoning a bit of courage, “died because your employers didn’t make sure that the humans they fed her were good and paralyzed.”

“I of course can admit no wrongdoing on their part,” Snyusia said. “Tell me, are you considering pursuing legal options?”

“All of them,” Astes said. “I’m looking into going after the club, the human’s owner, and yes, your clients.”

“You don’t want to do that, Astes.”

“My daughter is dead!” Astes roared, jumping out of his chair. “And you’re telling me I don’t want to sue? You’re right, you felgercarber, I want to murder! I want to pluck your clients’ legs off one by one! I want to grind that human to paste, knife his ‘Wild Child’ owner! I want to burn that piece of shaka club to the ground! Whatever can cause the most pain for you and your clients, that’s what I want!”

Siabo waited patiently as the man across from him finished. He waited until Astes added, “Well? You just gonna sit there with your finger up your behind?”

Siabo smiled, tightly. “Astes…there are many reasons why a legal fight – against the club, against my clients, indeed, even against the human’s owner – would be…well, adverse to my clients’ interests.”

“Yeah, I know. Why do you think I want to go after you?”

“And of course, my clients have connections. They would be rather upset if they were inconvenienced. And their concern, expressed to some of their colleagues…well, that could negatively impact your business.”

“Frak my business!” Astes growled. “If my business is destroyed and I get revenge for Keeran, that’s a fair trade. I think maybe you should leave….”

“And of course, there’s Jotoll.”

Astes stopped, mid-sentence. “What about Jotoll?”

Siabo smiled. “I hear she’s doing very well for herself. She’s getting quite the reputation as a skilled attorney. And practicing criminal defense! That’s a dangerous line of work, you know. Very dangerous. Trust me, I know. One of your murderous clients gets mad at you…well, you can imagine, can’t you?”

Astes slumped back down in his chair.

“Now, my clients…well, like I said, they have connections. As part of the deal we are prepared to offer, Jotall would be protected. I can guarantee her safety. Not to mention a steady stream of paying Titan clients. Don’t worry, Mr. Leffen – I have no intention of giving up mine.”

Astes sighed. “You’d guarantee her safety?”

“Absolutely. And not just that. There’s the monetary settlement – not that it comes close to covering your daughter’s worth, but with two million credits, you can find ways to ensure that your daughter is never forgotten. And what’s more, I know some businessmen who are looking for a good, legitimate importer. I would like to give you their contact information. Oh, don’t scowl, Astes. You’ve worked with my clients before, you know. I promise, nothing questionable. We wouldn’t want to harm your business. We want to help you, and your family. And we can do that,” Siabo said, quietly, pulling out his pad. “Just sign and code it; I’ll let you deal with your wife, but if it makes her feel better, you can tell her you bullied us into it. I’ll even have my secretary call her and beg her to call you off, if you want.”

“I can handle my wife,” Astes said, signing the pad and punching his personal authorization code in. “You just keep your end of the bargain. I have one daughter left. I can’t….”

“Jotoll is safe, Astes. As are you.” Siabo stood, and bowed slightly. “Once again, I am truly sorry for your loss. Don’t worry, I can show myself out.” Siabo walked over to the door and ran a palm-sized device over it. The mag-locks disengaged, and he stepped through, and out into the house.

Astes sat heavily down in his chair, and covered his eyes. He wished he had the chance to go back, to have his baby daughter tell him she wanted to study the insectoids. Because he would have told her to run. Run away, fast as you can, and don’t ever stop.

* * *

“Have you heard anything else, Scobee?”

The young, blonde haired man nodded as he got back to the circle. “They say people are very angry, but still, they plan to kill him.”

“How can they want to kill him?” a girl asked. “It’s not his fault!”

“Well, it’s kind of his fault,” an older man said. “He did kill her. But he was trying to save himself; you would think that would count for something.”

“A human life? Count for something? Not on this world, Braga.”

“You say that like the Titans are all bad,” the older man said. “They aren’t. They are just people, like us, Urt.”

“They wouldn’t say the same thing!”

“Did I say they would?” Braga hopped down from his perch; it was night in Ariselu, and it was the part of the long night when the humans in the Ariselu HOS shelter would ordinarily be asleep – as would the Titans, save one. On this night, Telanai, the night caregiver, was glued to the reports out of Rutger, and from the edge of the sanctuary the reports could be heard. The humans were taking turns listening and relaying what would happen to the one who dared to kill a Titan.

“Do you think it could be true? He could be from…from Earth?” The girl, Yula, whispered it as if it was profane – or quite the opposite.

“Why not?” Braga said. “Earth exists. It’s a planet. I remember watching a docuvid on it with Urana.”

“Here you go again with Urana. Why are you here if Urana loved you so much?” Urt mocked.

“Because she died,” Braga said, quietly.

The humans in the circle were quiet for a moment. Braga had talked of his former owner often, but never had explained how he came to be here in the shelter.

“She got very sick. She was young, but still…there are sicknesses even the Titans cannot treat, not once they get bad enough. We had a year from the time she found out to the time she died.”

Braga raised his eyes, and met Urt’s evenly. “Urana never treated me like a pet. When her brother got me for her, she said she didn’t know how people could keep humans as pets, she thought we were too smart. She taught me to read, to write, taught me math and how to…well, she taught me many things. And I miss her every day. And If I was dying, she would fight for me, and if I had died before her, she would mourn me. Would she say I was a person? That’s what she said to me, Urt. The last thing she said to me. To never forget that I am a person; to never let them tell me I am less than one.”

Urt gave a slow clap. “Well good for you, Braga. Some of us had mean, nasty owners who dropped us here out of anger. Don’t we count?”

“He didn’t say that, Urt! Stop being such a jerk,” Yula said.

Braga looked off into the distance. “Some Titans are cruel, Urt. And most – almost all – would not give us the courtesy that Urana gave me. I know the next Titan to adopt me will probably not. And I will have to accept that – to be a good little pet. To obey. I will do as I must to survive. But I won’t forget that I’m a person, and none of us – not Scobee, not Yula, not you, Urt – none of us ever should.”

When Urt spoke, his voice was much softer. “Braga…what if we escaped? All of us – ran away, lived together?”

“I tried that,” Scobee said. “I ended up here. They look for wild humans, Urt. They gather us up, and if you’re lucky, you end up here. If not….”

“We could fight back,” Urt said. “They can be killed.”

“Yes, they can,” Braga said with a thin smile. “But Urt, if we fight them, that begins a fight we cannot win. You know that, and I do as well.”

Urt sighed, and rubbed his hand through his hair. “It isn’t fair,” he said.

“No, it isn’t. But we must have hope.”

“How? How can we hope?” Urt asked.

“Because when we stop hoping…that is when the Titans will be right. When we stop hoping for a better world…that is the day we will be people no more.”

Braga sighed. “It has been some time since any of us told a story. May I tell one? It will be the short version, I promise.”

Urt nodded. Braga gave him a warm smile.

“This story is called ‘The Journey,’ and it is an old story, told by humans since we left Earth. Remember this story, that you may pass it on to your children. A story, a story, let it come, let it go.

“Once, there was a man named Olissus. He was a brave man, a fighter, and an Emperor.”

“Like the Emperor of the Titans?”

“Yes, Yula, like the Emperor of the Titans,” Braga said. “Emperor Olissus was brave and smart, but he had a problem. He was too proud of himself. He won a war – you may remember the story of the Wooden Shaar of Ilos – and he was so proud of what he did that he boasted, to all that could hear, that he was the smartest and best person alive. And what do the Gods do when we have too much pride?”

“They humble us,” Urt said.

“Yes,” Braga said, quietly. “They do.”