Vinacvier ignored his associate’s barbaric display and said, “Let us get to the point and leave this inhospitable place so we can enjoy refreshments in more appealing conditions.”
The Worm made a gesture and said, “You are the ones who again asked for a meeting and paid much to make it happen. I chose the place; here we are. It is you who needs me.”
Haforneun said with an apologetic gesture, “Our last cooperation was marred by betrayal and misfortune. The traitor we know met a fitting end. We felt his agony while he was dying and it pleased us. The human we tried to obtain died on Sin 4, and it turned out he was of little influence. The Narth have already done what we hoped could be postponed.”
The Worm conceded with a more hospitable tone in his voice, “Yes, the involvement of the Narth has cost the Worm dearly, and I fear it will cost us even more. Several attempts to assassinate one of the new Narth Agents have failed and were met with such a brutal and swift response even by Terran standards that it becomes quite difficult to even find someone willing to try.”
Vinacvier was now relaxing a bit, and he, too, took a bottle but demonstrated how it was done properly by filling a cup only a third and taking little sips. He gave his colleague a dismissive side glance as he said, “Kermac Intelligence assets face similar challenges, and we came to the conclusion that it is very likely you are no mere criminal mastermind but that the Worm is a cover for Nul-Nul Intelligence.”
Haforneun almost choked on his soured water and milk drink. The still Purple Worm laughed or at least that is what they thought the rasping sound was.
The worm said, “It is a good guess, and honestly, I wish it would be so, but Nul-Nul are neither biologically nor ideologically connected to me in any form. However, I will be able to arrange a meeting between you and Nul Intel if you desire, as I think this is the reason for your visit.”
Both Kermac agents nodded, and Vinacvier said, “Yes, this was one of the results we hoped would come out of this meeting.”
The Worm held up one of his many-jointed fingers and said, “I must warn you, the Nul-Nul do not play well with others and are opposed to alliances, especially since the brief Nul-Shiss alliance almost six hundred years ago.”
Again, it was Vinacvier speaking for them both saying, “We would be interested in a meeting with Nul Intelligence. We don’t want an alliance but we all face a common enemy that is becoming stronger by the moment, and we can already see the day when the Union will move against the rest of us and claim dominion over the entire galaxy.”
The Worm said, “I somewhat agree with your assessment but the galaxy is a very big place, and there are vast areas unknown to all of us. The time when the galaxy must be united to face terrible enemies will soon be at hand once more.”
Vinacvier slammed his bottle on the little table and barked, “This is the reason the galaxy must be under the firm rule of Kermac, for we have means to communicate with the Y’All and prevent their dominance.”
“A point only seen by the Kermac, of course, but for the near future, our goals are alike. I shall arrange that meeting.”
The End
This is Vanessa Ravencroft. Thank you for reading Eric Olafson: Space Pirate. I hope you enjoyed the book. Please share a review on Amazon.com
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