Yull was in a foul mood when he finally made his way to Kemm's room. "Fornicating humans." He cursed as he walked in the door. "Son, you had best hope that you never have to get involved with those hairless primates."

Kemm looked up in confusion. "What have they done now?" He asked, wondering if Matriarch Oz had killed someone.

"They're billing us." Yull grunted. "For medical care rendered to the escaped livestock as well as damage to the ship. If we don't pay they're going to confiscate our cargo."

"So let them." Kemm said, watching for his father's reaction. "The damn acid beasts almost ate me. Let them be the human's problem."

"It's not that simple. Your uncle…" Yull paused as if realizing he was about to say too much. "Rett had buyers for those pelts." He finished weakly.

Kemm reached into his pocket and tossed the crystal onto the table. His father winced as the priceless piece of lost technology skittered across the metal. "With pelts this fine I can see why a buyer might be unhappy if their order wasn't filled."

"Quite so." Yull pocketed the shard. "I wasn't aware Rett was teaching you the merchant's trade." He looked across at his son for an explanation.

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"Oh I just picked up a few things here and there from watching him work. Not really a formal apprenticeship." Kemm returned his father's gaze without flinching. "After all, if I'm to be an overseer one day it would make sense for me to understand all aspects of the family business."

The father and son shared a moment of silence. Yull was the first to speak. "Some aspects of the family business… are less than savory."

"All the more reason to know about them, rather than suffer a rude surprise later." Kemm shot back. Before today he never would have dreamed of talking to his father this way but something about almost being eaten had changed him. He was seeing things with a certain clarity that near death experiences tended to bring. "Who are these pelts for?" He asked.

"Off-world traders." Yull said warily. "They're bringing food and farming equipment that the clan needs if it's going to be self-sufficient."

"And in return all they ask for is some illegal and potentially world-ending nanotechnology. That sounds perfectly logical to me." Kemm said, finding he could only stretch a metaphor so far before it snapped. He stood up. "Let me go talk to the humans, see what they really want. Hopefully I can convince them to release our cargo."

Yull looked his son up and down, wondering where the youngling had found this new source of confidence. "Be careful with the humans." He said. "They seem weak but I've heard stories…"

Kemm snorted with laughter. "What are they going to do, eat me?" Then he remembered how sharp Matriarch Oz's teeth had looked when she smiled and his stomach did a little flip of anxiety.

"I'll be careful." He promised.