(“They teach us how to respond in a crisis situation ya know…” Darren said quietly, his eyes glassed over as he looked out into the calm black water. It was so quiet, so calm that all he could hear was the slap of the water against their boat, and Pryvani’s gentle rhythmic breathing.

“We ‘protocol’.” Darren stiffed a bitter laugh, his eyes narrowed into slits, an acrimonious smile crept onto his face. “We have a manual even…follow these steps if you want to live.” Darren’s voice grew increasingly unsatisfied and irate.

“Darren if you would rather we stop I understand….” Pryvani said softly.

Darren simply went on, as if the 120ft woman whose lap he was perched on didn’t even exist. “There ain’t anything in that book for what happened.” Darren’s eyes focused on something in the far distance, something of little consequence, but something that allowed him to focus his attention and quiet his growing fury.

“I don’t imagine they would have even known….”

“Really?” Darren looked up suddenly, angry, frustrated, he snapped at Pryvani quickly even though knew he had no right to take his resentment out on her.

Pryvani gracefully took his verbal assault and went silent, looking off into the water patiently, waiting for him to continue.

“Ah spent the better part of my gat’dang career babysitting the biggest government cover-up our world had ever seen! Ah fought the brass to buy her the right to go fer walks! I told ‘em she was restless and needed to do something. I trained our men, I trained her!” Darren’s breathing grew more and more labored as he mulled over the events that took place that night, they haunted him, and terrified him.

“The day we were taken, do you know what we were doing? Out there’n the dead of night in the middle of the Nevada Desert?” Darren asked, dryly.

Pryvani gave her head a shake.

“Ah was training our men to fight her…teaching them to avoid capture…leaning how she moved, learning how she thought…in case….in case we ever hadda…” Darren went silent.

“Didn’t you say they had a kill switch in her anyhow? A way to disable her gravitational implants?” Pryvani asked calmly.

“Ah never thought she’d be a risk, don’t be stupid!” Darren sighed. “But I always knew there were more of ya…and so I did the best thing I knew. B’cuz I had no idea if ya’ll were as kindly as her.” Darren spoke, nearly ashamed.

“I don’t think you can be blamed for thinking that.” Pryvani spoke, after a long pause.

“Little good it did me.” Darren huffed, shaking his head and hunched over.

“There was nothing you could have done….”

“Bull shit!” Darren snapped. “I was the only damn one who could of! I was the best gat’dang trained man alive for what happened Pryvani!” Darren shouted, his voice cracking slightly, his fists trembling as he clenched them tightly.

“You were surprised, you had a lot distracting you. Sometimes even the best of us slip up.” Pryvani said as she held back the temptation to stroke Darren’s back.

“Not me!” Darren took long controlled breaths as he attempted to calm himself down. “Ah spent my whole damn life doing everything right! Darren Avery don’t make mistakes…because when ah make mistakes people end up dead.”

“You are here today. You handled yourself better than anyone I know. Darren, you did everything that was in your power and more, nobody can ask anything else of you than that.” Pryvani spoke, her voice was gentle but confident.

“Little good it did…” Darren’s rage slipped away slowly, his voice dipped low, void of energy and passion.

“Darren, that wasn’t your fault.” Pryvani spoke with conviction.

“She didn’t have ta die….” Darren whispered.

“What happened to that girl happened by her own accord, she was her own executioner Darren.” Pryvani spoke, scooping Darren into her palm and bringing him before her face.

Darren refused to look at her.

“Look at me please?” Pryvani asked, in a tone that left little room for argument.

“It didn’t have to go down that way.” Darren whispered, looking to her, his eyes were wet but his face angry.

“You had no choice.” Pryvani maintained eye contact.

“The hell would a spoiled lil rich girl know about that eh! You ever have’t watch the life drain form someone’s eyes, knowing it was your fault!” Darren snapped at her, his eyes washing over with rage.

Pryvani was silent for a moment before she spoke, her voice low and plain. “Don’t be so sure, Sergeant Avery.” As Pryvani spoke, she was hardly able to control her own composure.

Darren didn’t argue with the heiress, he didn’t say another word on the issue. He knew pain, and he knew the look in her eyes, it said more than words ever could. It was a look reserved only for those who had seen what he had seen, lived what he had lived. It couldn’t be faked, it couldn’t be fabricated.

“Ah panicked.” Darren spoke regretfully. “Didn’t know what to do, so ah did nothing.”

“You stayed alive?” Pryvani offered.

“Everything got a bit hazy around here, ah remember sitting in the ugly guy’s pocket for a while. It was stuffy’n dark. Tapp huddled next to me, did my best to keep’er calm.” Darren stared motionless down at the floor as he continued his story.)

Tapp huddled close to Darren in the dark, stuffy confines of their prison. She was crying and in a state he’d never seen her in before. Desperate, terrified and vulnerable.

“Shhh, keep yer voice down.” Darren whispered, stroking the back of her head, her platinum white hair draped over his shoulder as Tapp’s head leaned against his.

“What’s happening…what is he going to do to us? Why did he take us? What did we do wrong? I want to go home, I don’t want be here! I’m sorry I ran, I’m sorry I took us here, I just want to go home, please Darren take us home please!” Tapp sobbed and clung her arms around Darren’s shoulders, hiding her face deeply in his neck.

Darren wanted to lie to her, tell her everything was going to be alright. He wanted to calm her nerves and play the hero, but he wasn’t exactly sure himself that everything WAS going to be alright. “Degu’s gonna get Bedra’n Eyrn…they’ll find us. We jus’ gotta keep calm ok?” Darren spoke softly, keeping his voice down to avoid being heard by their captor.

“How will they find us? They left us all alone Degu doesn’t know where they are!” Tapp spoke between deep heaving sobs.

“Shhhh, yer gonna get yerself all exhausted. Save yer strength for when we’ll need it.” Darren stroked Tapp’s back, his eyes maneuvered slightly to his ankle where he kept his knife. He then eyed the fabric on the inside of the man’s pocket.

(“Why didn’t you?” Pryvani asked, interrupting him.

“Wasn’t the right time ah guess.” Darren shrugged. “Figured he was faster and stronger’n me, and less forgiving than Eyrn’n Aisell. Didn’t wanna play my ace to early.” Darren kept silent after word’s.

“Sorry…continue.” Pryvani apologized.

Darren was silent for an agonizing length of time, his eyes remained fixed forward as if he was caught in a trance. He stiffed a bitter laugh and spoke without moving or breaking his stare.

“Caught with my pants down.” Darren huffed. “That’s what we call it back home, when the enemy gets the jump on ya. When you’re so dang distracted your caught completely blindsided.”

Pryvani nodded, keeping her thoughts hidden for the time being.

“Like I said, it was all a blur, I overheard a bit of talking, did my best to keep Tapp calm. When we were taken from the ugly fuckers pocket it was a bright room with a stainless steel look to it. There was an equally butt-ugly woman I figured was a cook or something. She had this same strange green mark on her neck, and her skin was sickly grey and pale.”

“When a Titan becomes addicted to hive maggots, certain biological changes take place. The whole process is reversible with medical treatment. The green stripe is the effect of the venom discoloring the veins in the neck. This is where the venom is most concentrated, the point of infection.” Pryvani spoke, her skin crawled at the thought.

“Permanent?” Darren asked.

“No, an addict needs to be re-administered a fresh live maggot once the existing maggot moves on to its next phase. The existing Maggot expels itself from its host’s body during…well…you can use your imagination, and the effects of its presence in the blood and nervous system ends.”

“What sorta effects?” Darren asked, in all he’d been though he never stopped to ask.

“The host’s nervous system is adapted to pick up on insectoid pheromones. This is their primary method of communication.” Pryvani stated with a shiver.

“Seems useful.” Darren huffed.

“The host’s own neural pathways are also opened up and easily transmitted via their own pheromones…meaning any insectoid of a high enough caste can then pick up on the host’s thoughts.”

“Mind control…if these creepy crawlers are so dang clever how come they haven’t replaced ya’ll with pod people by now?” Darren asked, actually thankful for the distraction.

“It’s extremely difficult to administer a live maggot to an unwilling host. It’s rather easy to expel medically, and the host still has complete control of their reflexes and impulses. It’s not mind control. More…mind reading?” Pryvani set Darren back on her lap.

“So, I guess they call ‘em junkies because there’s some sort of addicting quality to this whole thing?” Darren asked raising a brow.

“First hand reports explain it as a euphoric state, a numb blissful ignorance. If you can move past the fact that a slimy little bug is nesting itself in your neck drinking your blood…personally it makes my skin crawl.”

Darren nodded slightly and readjusted himself atop Pryvani’s lap. It was strange the effect she had on him. It was every bit as true as he had been warned about. She was a smooth talking, clever woman who looked, smelled and breathed power. She had the ability to silence a room with a single stare, she was a step ahead every time she opened her mouth, there was absolutely nothing ditzy or stupid about her. Yet she played that act so well, the real Pryvani Tarsus was in fact the Pryvani everyone believed to be the myth, and the ditzy spoiled brat the elaborate ruse.

She was beyond beautiful, and clever beyond her years. Mostly she was intimidating, but benevolent enough to overcome that and endear herself to anyone she spoke to. Her eyes hid so much, Darren felt if he’d ever figured out a way to convince her to spill it, she could likely top any story or personal experience he’d ever told her.

All of that hidden behind a smoky-eyed, green-haired heiress, who balanced a mining empire in one hand, a seat on the imperial senate in the other, and her own civilization, somehow without dropping a single one.

And he still had no idea what she wanted from him, and why she had brought him here today.

“Ya know something? If it had been you and not the Twat that landed on our door step, I’ve no question you’d of ended up running the place before you were 12.” Darren laughed and gave his head a shake.

Pryvani chuckled softly and gave her head a shake. “You really think I’d have waited until 12?” Pryvani grinned and leaned back in her seat looking out to the calm black water.

“Lots of talking, most of it unrelated to us. Can’t recall if I heard their names. Neither of us knew what was happening, Tapp seemed to have a sinking realization as to what was going on more than I ever did.” Darren scoffed. “Blindsided and ignorant, some Master Sergeant of the United States Armed forces I ended up being eh? Some decorated war hero eh?” Darren sighed dejectedly.

Pryvani didn’t respond, but did look down with a gentle sigh.

“Well, I tried to talk, tried to bargain, even tried threatening. Everyone in the room just ignored us.” Darren said, his voice dripping with disbelief. “Didn’t take me long to catch up with Tapp. The pristine surroundings, the clean uniforms, the ominous metallic structures in the distance. We were in a kitchen, sitting on a hard metal table like a cold slab of meat.” Darren spat hatefully.

“I can’t imagine how that must have felt.” Pryvani gasped.

“The ugly woman set a bowl in front of us. Tapp screamed and tried to run, but I pulled her back and hushed her. I overheard the two Titans talking.)

“You’re sure these two are clean?” The full-figured, older woman spoke like a crow.

“Got ‘em fresh and kicking, didn’t I?” The large man spoke with disdain. “Wern’t cheap either!” He coughed.

The older woman looked Darren and Tapp over for a half second before shaking her head and waving a dismissive hand. “No bother, they will have to do. Get those rags off them and throw em in the juice.” She boomed and set a large steel bowl beside the two humans. “Don’t forget to get their mouths this time eh? Don’t want them drinking the goop like the last two clever buggers. No time to buy new ones!”

“That wasn’t my fault!” The large man grumbled and glared daggers at his counterpart.

“The hells it wasn’t.” The woman laughed and gave her head a shake.

“Damn things are slippery and squirm too much!” The man protested with a scowl as he looked down to Darren and Tapp.

“You’re just too damn rough. You know they dislike it when you damage the meal!” The woman spoke condescendingly.

“At least I didn’t break their scrawny little legs this time!” The man chuckled deeply as he reached out for Tapp.

“Bah! You know what Luf, go find something productive to do while I prepare them!” The woman scorned and swatted the thick man’s hand away.

“Feh, fine with me Poi. Hate getting my hands in that stuff anyhow. It tingles!” Luf grumbled.

Tapp closed her eyes and held close to Darren as the meaty palm reached out for her. Helplessly Darren clung to her and hushed her calmly. He could feel her trembling, her tears ran warm down his shoulder. She was fortunate she could express herself so openly, for he was just as terrified.

Poi took hold swiftly of Tapp and pried them both apart effortlessly. The scrawny wiry human struggled and screamed as the thick strong titaness fingers wrapped around her petite frame and held the frightened human before her big brown eyes.

“Quiet dear, they dislike stress, they dislike noise. It makes them angry.” The older woman had a surprisingly hushed and calm voice when she spoke to Tapp, and gently stroked the teeny human’s silky blond hair. “Shame about you though, your quite the delicate little flower.” With hardly an effort Poi lay Tapp down on her stomach and reached for a sharp steel pair of cutters.

“Don’t!” Darren shouted and stepped forward. “Just leave her be!” Darren demanded, growling.

“You’ll get your turn, be patient.” Poi chuckled as she easily sliced the pretty silky dress Tapp was wearing from bottom to top, and pulled it off her swiftly, leaving her shivering and naked.

Tapp screamed in indignity as she struggled in vain against the strong fingers pinning her arms and legs to the cold steel table.

“So sweet and soft, like cream. How does a sweet little thing like you end up in a rut like this, hmmm?” Poi ran her nail down Tapp’s back and looked her over, spreading her butt cheeks apart, and then prying her tiny legs apart to examine her unsullied lady parts. “My, but you’ve been well cared for! No bruising, no tearing. Your’re fresh and unaltered aren’t you? Completely fertile. If I didn’t know better I’d pin you a breeder.” Poi hummed.

Darren seethed as he watched, in anger he ran for Tapp in hopes to save her from her personal hell, but a swift back hand sent him sprawling onto his back sliding across the table.

“Try that again and I’ll skip the juice with you!” Poi grinned. “Trust me, you’ll want to be nice and numb for this, hero.”

Darren reeled in pain from the impact. The air was knocked from his lungs and he sat prone for a moment, jaw agape. He had practically lived with Eyrn for nearly 5 years. Both on base and here on Archavia. In all that time she had never struck him. His whole body ached and his face stung from the force of Poi’s hit. He felt like he’d been hit by a train. When breath did come he gasped and coughed and rolled over onto his stomach, forcing himself up on his hands and knees.

“Leave her alone!” Darren coughed defiantly.

“Was she to be yours, little hero?” Poi spoke with a mock pout. “You look strong and built. Were you hoping to put a kid in her? Have a dozen little human children?” Poi laughed and ran the tip of her long painted nail along the lips of Tapp’s vagina. “I won’t hurt her little hero, they dislike damaged goods. They would punish me mercilessly if I soiled her before they had a chance to feast.” Poi licked her lips, nearly drooling. “But how tasty she looks hmmm? Such a sweet creamy little morsel. She will taste divine. The pure ones always do.”

“Look if you’re gonna kill her just do it! Don’t make her suffer! Don’t be cruel!” Darren shouted back as his stomach tried to pour out his throat. He’d never experienced the full violent nature these beings of incredible size were capable of. In one simple brush of her hand he felt absolutely destroyed.

“Kill her? Me? I should be so fortunate, my little dear.” Poi lamented as she finished examining Tapp. “You and the others are reserved for the master’s dinner guests tonight. The rest are bathing in a nice toxic mixture that dulls the senses and kills the nerve endings. Two of them were clever and drank as much of the fowl stuff as they could. An agonizing death for something so weak and fragile, but a quicker death than what was to come I’m sure.” Poi laughed, deep and echoing, as she took Tapp by the ankle and held her before her face.

Poi had the remnants of what was once ginger hair, soft hazel eyes and a worn face that may still have held a fair bit of beauty had she not been ravished by the ill effects of her addiction.

“Yer sick…yer all a bunch of sick fucks!” Darren coughed as he tried to stand.

“Come now, it’s nothing to cause a stink over. The big eat the little, the strong rule the weak. You and your little friend would have met no better fate in a cage dancing for your supper,” Poi gave her head a shake.

Tapp continued to bawl and scream as she was dangled before the older woman’s face.

“We will have to do something about that however. If you drink yourself dead it will mean my neck.” Poi tapped her nail against Tapp’s stomach and chuckled as she reached for a clear gell like substance out of a small white tube. “This won’t hurt a bit, and by the time it wears off you’ll be nice and snug in the belly of whom ever is lucky enough to land you on their plate.” Poi blew in Tapp’s face forcing her to close her lips and eyes, then smeared the jell over Tapp’s lower jaw and mouth.

Tapp tried to open her mouth to scream, but was unable to. She brought her fingers to claw at her mouth and felt a plastic like cover over her mouth.

“Dries fast once you rub it in, hmmm?”

Tapp’s eyes expressed unimaginable horror as she stared into Poi’s cold eyes.

“Well, in we go then. It won’t hurt, it will tingle a bit, and the smell is awful.” Poi shrugged and brought Tapp close to her thick full lips. “I wish you were mine, you look delicious.” Poi kissed the withering Tapp and then lowered her into the soupy green liquid.

“Screw you!” Damn you all to hell!” Darren swore as he managed to stand, clutching his stomach and watching Poi drop Tapp into the bowl.

“So angry. I hear the angry ones are tough and stringy!” Poi chuckled as her hand snaked out for Darren.

Darren swallowed and prepared for the assault, he didn’t want to give her the pleasure of seeing him run.

“Sad though, you won’t have a whole lot of time for the venom to take effect. So you two will likely be very aware and alert when your’re eaten. But hopefully just dull enough to stay nice and quiet while the guests eat.” Poi took hold of Darren roughly and tore off his pants and shirt using her nails, clearly not showing him the same tenderness she had Tapp.

“This isn’t right!” Darren insisted.

“And why not?” Poi tilted her head as she pried off his boots and discarded them in the same pile as Tapp’s clothes.

“Ya can’t just cook us and eat us! It ain’t right! We’re just like you danget!” Darren struggled against Poi’s fingers as she pinned him to the counter surface and dipped her finger in the gel.

“First off, we can and will…and are.” Poi applied the Gel to Darren’s lips before he could counter her argument. “Second, you’re just a human. Nobody will miss you.” Poi lifted Darren by his ankle and held him over the bowl. “Third, it’s the way of things. You’re no different than any other animal. Small, helpless and great over cooked grains!” Poi winked and dangled Darren a little.

Darren had a horrific view of the motionless bodies that filled the bowl. The liquid was up to their waists but they were all covered in the pea soup like stuff. All of them had wide open eyes with dilated pupils. None of them moved, save for Tapp who was writhing and screaming, muffled by her gag.

“So long. Try not to breathe any in, it’s nasty to have to swallow your own vomit.” Poi cringed and lowered Darren into the venom.

***

Aisell’s body clashed against the stone-like rock figure of Ler-Tonga. She took hold of his wrists and braced her hip against him and pushed with all her strength.

The blinded, flailing ler hissed and snapped his jaw as he searched for something to bite hold of.

Aisell quickly fell back onto her rear and braced her feet against Ler-Tonga’s pelvis. Letting out a guttural grunt the exhausted titan allowed her long legs to straighten in one fast hard motion, setting the hunched-over Ler off balance. She released his arms at the moment she extended her legs, then pulled them back in and on another solid fluid motion she kicked both legs as hard as she could into Tonga’s pelvis, over and over again until at last the impact sent him sprawling backwards stumbling for his balance.

“Rraaaa!” Tonga hissed and growled in retaliation and stomped his feet to stop his backwards stumble. His tail dragged against the dirt as well.

“I don’t think so!” Aisell pumped her arms and leapt to her feet, taking advantage of the unsteady ler’s moment of weakness and charged at him line back style with her shoulder before her.

The impact was hard and caused a sickly cracking sound in Aisell’s shoulder, she screamed both from the adrenaline and the pain, and pushed against the ler’s chest to give the final shove that sent him back pealing over the solid red boarder. Once his foot touched the ground alarms sounded and a siren called.

The crowd erupted in a deafening roar of cheering and screaming. The challenger had won, the champion had been dethroned.

***

Degu scurried quickly from table to table. The volume in the building exploded into an uproar that caused him to slap his hands over his ears.

Darren and Tapp were in danger, their fates unknown. He had witnessed them snatched away by a vicious brute. He panted and heaved as he looked around in desperation.

“Where are they!?” Degu pleaded as he searched for the familiar sight of the purse they had left behind.

A sea of tables and chairs blurred his vision from all sides. He couldn’t remember where he had come from or where he was going!

“It all looks the same!” Degu said in a panic as he ran a few feet and then stopped to look around. Given what he’d just seen, he didn’t feel asking another titan for help was a very smart option.

“Bedra! Where are you? I need you!”

***

Darren came to after what seemed like an eternity. His head was hazy and his thoughts disconnected. Where he was, what was going on, none of it came to his immediate recollection.

His surroundings were different, he was cold, and the ground beneath him was cool to the touch against his stomach. His vision phased in and out, a muffled collage of sound begun to sort itself out. Voices, there were voices, many loud voices all talking in unison.

His muscles were heavy and his limbs tingled as if they had fallen asleep on him. His greatest efforts resulted in little to no movement. The white pearly ground began to come into focus, he blinked slowly and laboriously. It was the only movement he could muster in his dream like state. It felt as if his mind had woken up a few moments before his body, leaving him confused and stationary floating above his own prone body.

Directly beside him he could almost feel the presence of another body pressed up against his. His eyes picked up a peach colored form about as large as himself, he couldn’t turn his neck to check but he could feel another similar feeling on the other side. Pressure more than anything else, as his senses were dull and uncooperative.

He attempted to speak, but his lips were fused together, his jaw refused to move, and he could hardly coax his vocal chords into muttering a soft weak groan.

The voices grew more distinct and separate from one another, they were loud and had presence, but they were not shouting. Titan voices. They had to be Titans.

The bowl, the green mess, Tapp and Degu, the old woman and the ugly man. It all came back to Darren in a chilling moment of realization. He lurched in desperation to move, giving off little more than a visible twitch.

“Our next honored guest brings the root of the rare Numak Truffle. Cultivated on the fringe worlds of the outer colonies, Numak Truffles take 20 years to mature, and are among the rarest in known space.” A slow but elegant female voice spoke softly and with great attention to detail. Darren’s breathing quickened as he begun to pick up on other noises. Clanging of porcelain and familiar sounds of glassware and thumping and shaking.

A strange series of clicking and slippery-sounding but guttural hisses could be heard that sent Darren’s skin crawling. It sounded like a thousand spiders crawling over his body, it was low and hushed, difficult to pick up on. The roar of voices bowed to its presence and ceased their commotion until it was finished completely.

“They are pleased with your offering honored guest.” The female voice almost sung. “You gift pleases the hive, may your offspring be plentiful, strong and useful.”

There was a dull roar of voices before a male voice spoke up above the rest. “Thank you!”

The unsettling clicking began once more, and filled the room with silence in its wake.

“We wish to know how much you can acquire and what you wish as payment.” The female voice returned picking up an air of business

“Ten dekobol, if that pleases the over seer.” The man spoke once more, his voice timid and nervous.

The nightmarish clicking returned short and fast, like the snapping of fingers.

“Bring forth your request for evaluation.” The female voice requested.

There was a sullen silence, Darren could hear movement and the hushed whisper of voices until the clicking began once more.

“Three of listed properties are under dispute and have been possessed until a property audit settlement can be arranged. The remaining two are still under legal ownership of their previous occupants. Nothing can be done in regards to the two remaining properties, however we can see that the process of re possession of the aforementioned three properties is hastened. In return we request 12 dekobol and an additional three in replacement for what will be consumed for this meal.” The female voice spoke with confidence.

There was a mumbling of voices, until the familiar male voice spoke up. ” I can deliver an additional two, and 11 dekobol.”

There was clicking and hissing and what sounded like a clap.

“Lert Prenn, we the overseer then have an accord.” The female voice commanded. “We would like to remind Lert Prenn, that failure to deliver the agreed upon goods will come with consequences.”

The uproar of voices picked up, and for a time Darren was left to his own. The objects next to him were bodies, his vision had focused and he could make out the smooth figure of Tapp laying directly next to him.

“Our final honored guest brings mature Dunnermaac roe.” The female voice broke the commotion and spoke up. “Dunnermaac roe matured to a week before hatching, removed from the nursery these eggs begin to go dormant. Salty and sweet, they are best eaten after being warmed in birthing water, to being them out of dormancy.”

The clicking of what Darren now assumed to be the ominous ‘overseer’ picked up. Once finished the translator spoke predictably.

“They have decided your gift is adequate.” The simple unimpressed tone suggested the overseer and its servant were mildly disappointed. “How much would you be able to acquire and what would you care for as payment?”

“I can get my hands on 100 dekobol.” A sharp young female voice spoke up with wavering confidence.

The voices roared for a moment before clicking commenced, and a sharp loud clap.

“We the overseer are skeptical that such a quantity can obtained. But would be willing to deliver payment upon delivery.” The female voice spoke quickly.

“I can deliver, my father is quite wealthy.” The confident young voice spoke up defensively.

The overseer hissed and snapped sharply, sending a cold chill down Darren’s spine.

“We would like to remind the honored guest not to raise her voice. It bothers us.” The female voice spoke harshly.

“Keeran, Keeran Lefan, my father is Wolder Lefan, he owns a shipping company that delivers spices and goods to the outer colonies.” Keeran said, with much more respect. “It’s not a matter of IF I can get 100 dekobol, it’s when.”

There was silence, and a sharp hiss.

“It reads here you wish passage to Hive Prime as payment?” The translator asked.

“Yes, passage there and back.” Keeran added with emphasis. “And an assimilation drone for translation and cultural adjustment.”

There was a loud sharp snap and a click.

“We have an accord,” the woman said with delight.

The voices spoke in a dull roar for a moment, until the familiar voice spoke eagerly and pleased, and said something that chilled Darren to the very core.

“Let us eat!”