Snippet #2701199

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.