Behind the woman’s back, Ivad rolled her eyes.She wasn’t interested in sleeping with Boy-Girl, and Ershma would be wise to figure it out sooner than later.
“I’m Matara Hope of Clan Piras.”
“Very nice to meet you, Matara Hope.”
He picked up the pace, and the bin was cleared faster than Ivad would have preferred.The next one had better be worth it.
Her pique was forgotten as a well-muscled Kalquorian was revealed.He uncurled his bulk far quicker than the Earther had, though he’d been stuffed tighter in the confines.His gaze was wide, almost fearful, until he caught sight of Hope.
“My Matara,” he breathed and grabbed her for a quick kiss, then sprang out.“Are you all right?”
“Fine.Glad to be free of that bin.I never imagined I could be claustrophobic until now.”
He held her close.His stare pinned the Beonids.“Where are the rest?”
“We’re working on it.”Ershma flinched, shot a significant glance at Ivad, and hurried to another crate.
Ivad paused a moment before joining him.The man’s soft gaze on the Earther had initially given her the impression of him being a gentle Imdiko...an undeniably delicious Imdiko she’d have been nice to the woman to have a taste of...but he now displayed the uncompromising command of a Dramok.
Hell, she’d fuck the Earther’s brains out to have a go at him.He made her tremble.
“No one in this bin,” Ershma muttered when it opened to display a miscellaneous pile of used parts, half of which were probably junk.The sides of the bin were standard thin.
They moved on.The Kalquorian stood over them as they opened it to find new holo monitor projectors.They wasted no time on inventorying and stacking them on the shelves.Instead, they set the shipment on the floor and opened the false bottom.
Ivad licked her lips as a feral and bearded Kalquorian stood tall, his posture indicating he was ready to fight.Scars crisscrossed his arms, left bare by a sleeveless but armored top.Hello Nobek.He relaxed only slightly to see his clanmates grinning at him.
“Piras?”he rumbled as he climbed out to join them.
“Apparently in one of those two,” the first male answered, gesturing toward the remaining bins.Ivad still hadn’t settled in her mind if he was an Imdiko or Dramok.
The Nobek moved close to one, then the other, his nostrils flaring.He pointed to the farthest.“In there.”
Barely a minute later, the smallest of the males was among them.One look and Ivad had no doubt he was the Dramok of the group.He was disheveled, but his state and stature did nothing to diminish the air of authority he wore like a second skin.
She and Ershma exchanged a lustful glance.When it came to Kalquorians, demanding Dramoks were their mutual weakness.
Disappointment washed over them when the man identified as Piras gave them a casual examination before dismissing them.“Tell your supervisor I wish to speak to him now.We have a lot of ground to cover in a short span.Thank you.”
Ivad pouted but couldn’t deny someone who wielded command like a weapon.Ershma at her side, she hurried to fetch Elcoger.
––––––––
“You’re saying the Darksgive every indication they have to come by information through the usual means?Bribery, coercion, seeing evidence for themselves?”Piras asked their Dantovonian host.He stretched, still trying to work the kinks out after having been cramped for so long.Being smuggled wasn’t the most pain he’d endured, but he was in no hurry to do it again.
“So it would seem.Why wouldn’t it be different?”Elcoger also stretched, extending limbs Hope would have called his grasshopper legs since he was among the spare-bodied of his kind.Fatter Dantovonians she’d compared to frogs.She claimed it was hard to reconcile the species’ insectile and amphibian attributes.
“You aren’t dealing with just the Darks, the offshoots of the All.The All itself is here, enveloping Jedver, its moons, and a swath of space beyond,” Piras informed him.
Elcoger grimaced, grinding the segmented scales of his face together.“I had no idea.Then again, reliable information regarding the occupier is difficult to come by.Those who discover too much disappear.”
“The endgame is for all of us to disappear.If the All can’t be defeated, the entire dimension is on borrowed time.”Piras had no idea if Elcoger would care enough to do more than angle for profit until the end came, but he had nothing to lose when it came to attempting to make invested allies.
If he’d impressed the Dantovonian, he saw no indication of it.Elcoger showed them the security of their abode.“This room’s defensive containment is set to kill when armed.The agreement is you won’t venture out and expose my involvement until you decide to leave the planet.”
“That’s the plan.We’ll be sending out nanobots aboard drones, however.”Piras flicked a glance at Hope and Lokmi.They listened, their interest rapt.Neither gave any indication of his half-lie.
“Drones are most helpful when it comes to keeping an eye on matters,” Elcoger agreed.“We’ll key those I have monitoring the neighborhood to recognize yours as friendly.This is how they’re deployed.”
