A tall burly man came up the road in leather jacket and a bar shirt reading STAFF. A leather cap on his head to keep out the rain of this place raised an eye at the odd traveler. Though he kept his distance spoke in firm practiced tones.

'Are you lost, miss? The Vineyards are somewhere around here if you need a map.'

He went over to the stool shaped like a connected pair of spoons to cradle his lower half angled slightly upward for view. Each leg laid flat against the floor for comfort. Jaunt put his words together for a moment before speaking so he didn't stumble, "We are grateful to be seen by your hive, Mr. Eros, and Matriarch Volla sends her apologies. Since you last engaged Matrairch Volla directly your food has kept her current incarnation healthy enough to grow too large to fit in your building anymore. High Matriarch Volla is old enough to speak through my caste now. Just a moment for her to muster."

A warm waft the smell of petrichor rolls across the floor as Volla overtakes Jaunt's will. Named Vulcan organs by a Logicroad tech or two his respiratory system shed heat to support the weight of interacting with her psyche. Jaunt's cephalothorax and mandibles stretch wide as she gets used to his body. A female voice comes from the speaker instead as Volla transmits through him, "I might not quite fit in your attractive patriarchal section, Mr. Eros. I meant no offense sending the royal caste we value your trade with our people very highly. This is how we must interact with your small constructions once we mature. You can now interact with me securely from any of the royal caste anywhere given time for their Matriarch to alert me. I will keep my presentation as concise as I can."

Jaunt drunkenly made a mental note of at least that word, Patriarch, as Volla used his long arm to place the pad he carried onto Eros' desk. The first document showed a list of mature individuals of their healer caste numbering a dozen or so. It read like a personnel file and all of them were training in human medical disciplines. A special addendum read at the bottom of each by a Logicroad-controlled contractor still enclaved on site, 'MH Factor tested at 2%, insignificant immune response on implantation, no immune response after observation period, 95% histocompatibility observed in all blood types, all patients survived. 'adaptor' microorganism survives in the mid-term but eventually dies from dysregulation or apoptosis. Minor flu-like symptoms observed at terminal point for apoptosis with no notable complications. Need communicator off planet installed at research site for references.'

Volla's business involved dealing in everything so took pains to learn all the words she missed the first time they met, "Our adaptor colony and related venom injections allow immediate implantation without immunological response to the organ. Matriarch Hygieia and Matriarch Oculi have hybridized an organ vault caste that are suitable for non-dreamers not of our people. We also find it is possible to use the adaptor cells in humans as an anti-viral of limited effect to cleanse genetic damage though it requires dialysis through a healer. We offer them to you for non-lethal study for medicinal use if we are paid royalties. She is laying more but they are difficult to alter. Though they do regenerate we would ask you not injure our children more quickly than they can recover."

"To that end," she continued as if the soft voice never ran out of air, "The second document is an offered contract by High Matriarch Bvetin to empower you, or a trusted second, to dispatch available children of war from Matriarch Nemesis in pursuit of contracts for a 25% commission of the fee paid to the individual. It must include room and board though individual rooms are unnecessary. High Matriarch Bvetin and Nemesis reserve the right to recall children of war for national emergencies. There are other conditions but we are otherwise very permissive of their activities."

That document contained a database rather than a mere listing. While it looked much like the first it named things like munitions and intelligence activities. As well as current locations it was more than four million strong. Nemesis didn't have the means yet to move her and the matriarchy's children around in small groups so they could be effective as mercenaries and they needed food. She had to resort to paying transports to pick up soldiers when they delivered food to get the soldiers off planet to somewhere they wouldn't starve now that the High Matriarch Bvetin stabilized all the unminded hives. Delegating that trade to non-gardeners with means was an unfortunate but necessary option.

The darkening twin of Kekkonen took a swig of coffee pouring the rest into a thermos from her trenchcoat. Warm enough in here she numb flesh slowly slipped out from imitation of a kobold in proximity. She'd tried to force it out once and ended up a painful hodgepodge till she started a fire. Just let it ride nowadays.

Pale horns on her head split from flesh to spiral out as she turned to Deidre with a toothy smile, "Ha! So freezin' this place is e'll be on his own bottom! 'anks fer tha coffee! Gotta go where the other thievies ain't been. Good stuff always the risky stuff."

She snerks at Kekonnen while screwing on the thermos top her voice rising away from his pitch, "Fancy boy! Knowin' cham-pagne glasses from whatever the stuff sposta go in. 'least y'ell know the good stuff to take. Never got a taste for it."

Kobolds not one for personal space she peeks over his shoulder to look at the tablet as her skin quivered the cornflower blue shloshing over her frame as bones turned back to normal. While a kobold of simpler tastes she had a keen sniper's eye darting between overlook positions on the topo map and taking mental note.

Then she side eyed him a smooth squeakless soprano pitch, "Gonna needa get better pants anna tail sock with that temp lyin on snow. M' weapon's feywild. Needa speak fiddlysmooth sylvan iffin I'm gonna shoot ma rifle instead 'a gun. Ain't gonna happen if I'm stuck with your throat, eh!"

She flipped her leathery half-insulated hood up, "Ain't gotta walk? I like ya already! Stupid frozen tallblood leather boots in the drifts, nothin to scav for bolds!"

The Jinahi pondered new developments to the conversation in their quiet whispers as to not disturb the Living Emperor's conversation with a Celestialkind. They were the contemplative mind of Myrkul and they were always considering when in numbers such as this cabal of thousands. The whispering never ended through it usually pertained in snippets to a conversation writ in the larger area.

"Eldryth has redirected her transection arrival point to Tolyl's location.", said one.

"It is the lesser of Myrkul's prerogative. What is their objective?", replied its neighbor.

Answered another from nearby, "They are aware of the situation with the Beastkind. She intends to undertake investigations into suitable psi-seed containers for beastkind for purposes of rekindling."

"Restrictions may exist by dicta of the fallen Emperor to restrain such an action.", said one studying plaques attached to the wall of the Imposition.

"'Citizens of my empire shall not be allowed to perish from reality' inscribed in the holy city does not imply templating requirements.", said another reading a plaque with just such a message upon it.

"Can current dicta produce agents of the Living Emperor that are neither humankind nor dragonkind?", said another looking at the space marine stood in the middle of the room.

"This is a current example. It still constitutes a recognized servant of the Living Emperor.", replied another next to him.

"Acquire a beastkind sample if prudent. Jinhai will study it for rekindling. The Living Emperor's dicta should also apply to Eldryth.", said one while looking to Myrkul.

"There will be failures.", replied another at the back of the room tending to a small dias.

"'It is not meant that humankind should suffer long by the hands of enemies much less the state' does imply a template requirement for that concern.", said another from a different plaque inside the room.

"Then failures of Beastkind to rekindle can be destroyed as Tainted to reduce corruptive presence with no further concerns.", decided a Jinhai near the door arches.

Ebbrabos shifted sideways a bit toward Stones a small bottle in her hand. Though she leaned in and lifted her gaze to his it left no indication of eyes there. As the eye followed the curve of her cheeks toward where eyes ought to be her pale skin faded away to bare hint at some structure within moving deep inside. A single awareness peering back out from the murk back at him. Her hole for eyes slithers and jolted in long movements of something indiscernible at strange angles above the playful tenting of her riding gloves.

"Careful looking into the abyss, Stones. We Can See You TooOOoo." Said her partly echoed voice in a off-pitch singsong.

She poured three shots of clear liquid though something for a burning clarity of mind than the alcoholic muddying, "Have something nice from my own supply! It won't do to have some tyrant causing problems in my backyard."

In a switch to rest her chin on the palm holding her cigarette, she answered Ulrich after some thought, "Hm. No, I haven't bought any supplies from that kind of vain creature. Nor made any promises to the vain. Though vain foresight does tend to strike an excellent bargain I'd be happy with."

The words were very particular. Vain things like something calling itself a god never saw the paths past their own meat. The cigarette in her mouth she took a long drag with the screechy whine that issues from it.

Causing trouble brought problems and she was feeling charitable, "I'll show him a good time when you're done with him. Just send him my way. Though I'm quite sure the pursuit of power has gained him a number of friends buying new presents for him. They so often surround themselves with those content to only serve, hmm?"

There were a number of cultists in the area who would not be lucky enough that they should go to hell if they died. Though they certainly might burn for not paying what's due.