There are times when a being looks back at its current circumstances and wonders if maybe, just maybe, it might have offended some greater power by accident. Or if no offense was caused, that its predicament is some kind of cosmic joke. A prank being pulled by forces much too great to comprehend.

But Kinter were almost unique in their response to these situations. They were one of the few creatures in the whole of creation that upon realizing they were about to be struck by lightning would be relieved, for this evil had befallen them and not another.

Simesh was not enjoying his current misfortune, but he was taking it in stride. He had uncovered a conspiracy, been corrupted by demons, and now was about to face off with two more corrupted Kinter that were no doubt about to try and kill him.

For as he now realized the fourth grave that Tiko the Magistrate had asked him to dig was to be his own. At first he had believed that Lomi the surveyor would be executed for his betrayal of the Kinter he was supposed to serve, a frightening thought in and of itself, but not one that had held up to closer scrutiny.

Tiko would merely view the discovery of Umlek the water merchant's scheme as a setback. It was not in Kinter nature to give up so easily.

The Magistrate exited his van and walked towards Simesh, glancing questioning at the two Demons that wore Kinter forms. He stopped when he recognized the one that looked like Hulik.

The Demon waved. "You must be Tiko! I'm Hilik! My cousin has filled me in on what happened."

Relief washed over the Magistrate's face. "I'm sorry, for a moment I thought I had seen a ghost."

"I get that more than you can imagine." The Demon clicked his teeth together humorously. "I came from Southport when my cousin told me his suspicions about Umlek. Now seeing what has happened here, I'm glad that I did."

The relief Tiko had displayed moments before seemed to evaporate. Southport was the planet capital and the hub of interstellar trade. He was used to being a big fish in a small pond and suddenly he had found himself reunited with a much larger lake.

The other Demon, who had taken the form of a tall black furred Kinter stepped forward. "Hilik rightfully informed me of the suspected corruption." It held up a badge of office, a palm sized shield with an insignia of two pairs of crossing horns. "Did you bring Lomi the surveyor?"

The moment seemed to freeze in time. Tiko glanced from the badge to the Demon holding it as if trying to reach a decision. He looked like a trapped rodent seeing a farmer's shove rising above it.

"No, Overseer." He finally said. "I went to his dwelling and found it empty. He must have run when he heard what happened to Umlek."

"Most unfortunate." The Demon overseer shook its head. "You must give me his likeness for when I report in to my superiors. They will no doubt wish to hear about this and offer aid in catching the corrupted Kinter."

The Magistrate seemed relieved. "Yes! That would be best. I'll retrieve my data pad right now." He almost ran back to the van and began to rummage around inside.

Something wasn't right, realized Simesh. Lomi was working with Tiko, he wouldn't have run. The Magistrate was lying.

Simesh looked over to the Demon Hulik. "I think Lomi is in the van with him."

"We know." Replied the Demon.

***

The Magistrate returned holding a data pad in his left hand, his right hand close to his side. The Demon Overseer handed Simesh the shovel and walked forward to meet Tiko.

"It's all in here." Tiko said, holding out the data pad. He was shifting nervously from hoof to hoof now, ready to lash out with the hidden blade in his right hand as soon as the Overseer came within range.

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"Excellent, I'll forward it along immediately." The Demon said as it leaned in for a closer look. Without hesitation Tiko lunged upwards burying a thin surgical knife up to his knuckles in the Overseer's ribcage.

Simesh could see everything, the gritted teeth as Tiko closed in for the kill, the look of triumph on his face as the blade went in. A look which changed to surprise as the blade passed through meeting no resistance.

The Magistrate backed away in horror. He had seen this before. "No…" He shook his head in disbelief. "This can't be happening." He dropped the knife. "This can't be happening to me."

He pointed to Simesh accusingly. "You're in league with the Demons! You asked for help from the fucking Demons?"

"That's right." Said the Demon Overseer. "Tiko son of Fino, you're under arrest for conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, perverting the course of justice and misusing your position for personal gain."

Simesh looked over to see Lomi the surveyor smack against the side of the van, something invisible and strong pinning his arms behind his back. There was a small hand held mining laser on the ground beneath him where he had dropped it.

"Lomi son of Yumik, you're under arrest for attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and abusing your position for personal gain." Said the Demon Hulik. "You will be held until your trial, at which point if you are found guilty you will be sentenced. Legal representation will be provided."

Kinter didn't really have police or much of a military for that matter. But Simesh could infer from what was happening that these Demons were acting in an official capacity to detain these tainted Kinter. That must have been what he had heard up at the homestead earlier, what his friend Larim had seen that had given him such a fright all of those years ago. Kinter were being held captive at the homestead while they awaited trial, but Larim hadn’t known they were suspected criminals. He had just seen innocent Kinter trapped in cages by a horrible Demon.

Lomi the surveyor went limp and was gently lowered to the ground followed shortly afterwards by Tiko. Simesh looked at the two sedated Kinter. They wouldn't have hesitated to murder him and his whole family to get what they wanted. Was this what he would become once the taint truly took hold? He didn't want that. It was better to be at the mercy of the Demons than to risk hurting others.

"Take me as well." Simesh said, getting the words out before he lost his nerve. "I'm tainted, I'll end up just like them. Better you take me now before I hurt someone."

Demon Hulik sighed. "You Kinter are just too noble for your own good. Your kind probably only made it into space because you thought it would be the right thing to do."

Simesh frowned. "Yes, Pokim son of Lokim said so during his speech when Kinter first set foot on our home planet's moon." He tried to recall the exact words but they escaped him at the moment. "We had to go to space, it was the only way to secure the survival of our species."

"And that's the problem." The Demon Hulik shook his head. "You're too gentle, too trusting. You truly believe in the greater good. But there’s a whole universe out there that would happily take everything from you and wouldn’t think twice. That's why we're here."

Behind him the other Demon was loading the unconscious Kinter into the van. They bobbed almost comically in the air as the invisible figure lifted them into the vehicle. Two great villains reduced to ridiculous puppets.

"You guessed it right earlier, we're here to farm the taint. That’s our crop, that’s what we grow. And that's why my partner and I came sixty years ago when your kind first settled here.” The Demon explained. “But not all taint is bad and some corruptions are even beneficial. Others are like weeds stealing sun and nutrients from the plants around them, growing without care for the rest of the garden. Those we cull, so that others may continue to grow and evolve."

"We're not here to hurt you, or eat you, or take what precious little mineral wealth this planet still has. We're here to guide you." The Demon said softly. "Because you're everything we wish we could be. And that's something worth protecting and nurturing. We may call ourselves Demons to scare your kind away and help keep our peoples separate, but we’re really shepherds. We look after those that cannot look after themselves, at least, who cannot look after themselves yet.”

The Demon Hulik flickered revealing a metallic shelled creature. No, not a shell, a suit. It was covered with layers of wires and circuitry. Radio emitters jutted out from the top like horns. The creature inside could not be seen, but Simesh could get an idea of the form it took. Bipedal, standard size, five fingers on each hand. The air hazed and Demon Hulick stood proud once again.

“My batteries are running dry, so we will have to continue this conversation later.” The Demon said. “But I would not mind if on some evening when the work is done you came along to play a game of Spint with us and talk. You may need some help processing what you have experienced.”

That was when Simesh realized the hidden meaning in his grandfather Hulik’s words. He had said he used to play Spint with their Demon, but Spint required at least three players. Hulik had been letting him know that there was more than just one Demon. Perhaps there was a whole family of them living in isolation so as not to corrupt the Kinter around them.

“Yes.” Simesh said. “I would like that very much.”