Bgrarh smoothed his shirt front with trembling paws. This wasn't one of his garish 'off duty' garments; instead he wore a sober dark blue outfit as befitting his fake identity. He looked around the large apartment as he felt another set of smaller hands neatening the back of his shirt. Little-Sniffer walked around to Bgrarh's front, making tiny adjustments of his own. Finally the tiny-chomper stepped back and nodded his satisfaction.

"[There. You'll knock 'er dead, [Bgrarh].]"

"{What?}"

"[Sorry, that was a poor choice of idiom. Remember, this is the trial run. What do you do?]"

"{I call the pizzeria and ask for delivery of one large with double pepperoni. But I don't ask for extra-fast delivery.}"

"[Good. Now if [Thora] is the deliverer, what do you do?]"

"{I ask her to come in while I get her payment, and see if she makes a move.}"

"[Good. Remember, for us [tiny-chompers] the gender roles are reversed from what you're used to. The women are the ones pursued, so you'll have to be more overt about your interest.]" Little-Sniffer flicked a few errant bits of lint from Bgrarh's sleeve. "[Remember, you've got a license to kill.]"

Bgrarh groaned. "{Stop using phrases with death in them!}"

That earned a chuckle from Little-Sniffer. "[Just channel your inner [James Bond] and you'll do fine. You ready?]"

The Dorarizin took a deep breath. "{As ready as I can be.}"

"[You'll do great. Remember, the Captain and I will be watching over you.]"

After Little-Sniffer left the room, Bgrarh shook himself and activated his implant.

"[[Il Tricolore], is this for pickup or delivery?]"

Bgrarh placed his order and gave the apartment's address without his voice squeaking, which he counted as a minor victory. Then there was an endless wait for the pizza to arrive while Bgrarh tried to calm down by focusing on his breathing.

"{Just another assignment,}" he muttered to himself. "{You've got this...}"

There was a knock at the door, and Bgrarh had to control himself to avoid literally tearing the door open as he ran up to it.

To his relief, the tiny-chomper outside was indeed [Thora]. She was tall for a tiny-chomper, about as tall as Little-Sniffer but nowhere near as wide. The tiny-chomper wore a blouse-and-jeans combination that was a lot less formal than Bgrarh's own clothing. She grinned up at him as she hefted a familiar flat box with one hand. "[Hi! You ordered a double [pepperoni]?]"

Bgrarh's tail wagged on autopilot when he saw that grin. "{Yes, I'm Nghnar-of-Ahgnr...}" He looked around and gave a growl of annoyance. "{Sorry, I forgot to grab the chit. Come on in, I'll get it for you.}"

[Thora] stepped across the threshold without complaint as the door slid shut behind her. She placed the pizza on a nearby entrance table, and Bgrarh swore he could feel her eyes on him as he walked off.

"[I don't recognize you,[Nghnar]]" she called after him. "[You new around here?]"

In the main room, Bgrarh stopped in front of a footlocker and began rooting through it. The apartment had only a few bits of furniture and a lot of shipping crates, to match his cover story. "{Yeah,]" he replied. "[The Senate just transferred me here from Ghnsnr-Eight.}" He almost launched into his prepared spiel about his new 'job', but waited to see if she'd pick up the scent.

"[Aw, that's too bad. I bet you had a lot of friends on [Ghnsnr-Eight].]"

Bgrarh pulled out a credit chit. "{I did, but this new job is a big step up for me! They've got me in charge of supply logistics for the entire colony. Emergency rations, equipment for the police, things like that.}" As he walked back towards the [tiny-chomper], Bgrarh picked up a new scent from her which smelled like fresh-brewed drzulr. From his time with Little-Sniffer he knew that smell indicated interest. He held his paw out to her with the chit in its center, trying to act casual. "{Besides, now that I'm here I get to meet you. That definitely make it worth getting reassigned.}"

[Thora's] grin grew wider. "[Well, on behalf of the local [tiny-chomper] delegation...my name is [Thora], and I bid you welcome. Am I the first [tiny-chomper] you've ever met?]"

Bgrarh nodded, reminding himself to breathe as she stepped closer. [Thora] placed her hand on top of the chit in his paw, and the contact with her furless, warm skin made him shudder.

The tiny-chomper's voice deepened as she kept her eyes locked with his. "[Hoo-ee, you are a tall drink of water aren't ya? You're the biggest [Dorarizin] I've ever seen.]" [Thora] gave him a wink that earned another shudder from Bgrarh before she plucked the chit up and out of his paw, then strolled back towards the door. As it slid open, [Thora] gave her firm backside a very definite wiggle and looked back over her shoulder. She made a satisfied hum at seeing Bgrarh still staring fixedly at her. "[I hope you order again real soon, big boy.]"

The door slid shut, leaving Bgrarh alone in the foyer. He remained staring at the closed door until he felt a tapping on his forearm. He realized he was still holding his paw out in front of him.

Little-Sniffer patted Bgrarh's arm again as he looked up at the Dorarizin with clear concern. "[Buddy? you okay?]"

Bgrarh shook himself again as he came out of his trance. "[Fine. Fine! I'm fine. Do you think it went all right?]"

"[Oh, yeah, you did great. We've got the bait in front of 'em, now we need to wait and see if they'll bite.]"

----------------------------------------

HOOSIER furrowed his brow as he regarded the robot's control panel. He changed a few of its settings, watching with a critical eye as the multiple metal arms in front of him folded and spun a wad of dough with an organic-like fluidity. The resulting disc was still not quite as round as he wanted, so HOOSIER again bent his head to the panel. He glanced up as NORDIC walked into Il Tricolore's kitchen with a satisfied smirk on her face.

"You gotta stop tormenting that 'bot." she said. "It'll go nuts and start making rude shapes."

"Keeps me busy," he replied. "I'm guessing the delivery went well?"

"Yep. Got us a new fish," said NORDIC. "A doggo from offworld. Built like gods-be-damned Mount Everest, but he puts out that 'dorky cute' energy. He's been put in charge of supplies for the colony."

"You work the ol' razzle-dazzle on him?"

The blonde woman waggled her eyebrows. "Ooooh, yeah. His tongue was all but hanging out of his head when I left. Now we just have to wait until he talks to one of our other 'customers' and finds out what could be his...if the price is right."

"Good." HOOSIER sighed and closed the control panel's protective cover. "Any word on our quisling?"

"I've asked around, and nobody's seen him since those Senate doggos came to claim him. Apparently Valentin told him to get lost and stay lost."

"Hmm. Speaking of the Senate, that investigation team showed up too soon after our op for my peace of mind."

"From what you-know-who told me, they only scan the Eggs every twenty years," she replied. "The odds are in our favor."

HOOSIER shrugged. "I'll feel better about our odds once that team's off the planet. If they leave, then we know we haven't been made. There's a lot more Eggs in there for the taking."

NORDIC gave a low but still ladylike growl. "We should have taken more."

"It was a calculated risk to steal even the one. If we got caught, it was a mundane-enough technology to avoid a galaxy-wide panic. Still...maybe we should ease off on, ah, 'recruiting' new customers until the team leaves."

NORDIC put on a show of exasperation, slumping her shoulders and rolling her eyes. "Come on! We can't stop now. I got this guy just where I want him. What if he calls for an extra-fast delivery and doesn't get it?"

"Admit it, you just want to get into his pants," replied HOOSIER with an amused shake of his head. "You've found a larger mountain to climb, am I right?"

"Yeah, I'm a size queen. So what? I have to be, in this damned job."

----------------------------------------

Rgrarshok kneaded Bgrarh's shoulders, and he knew his Alpha felt the tension in them.

"{Bgrarh, talk to me,}" she whispered in his ear.

He rolled over in their denpile until he faced her. Without a word he buried his head and mane into her neck. Rgrarshok's arms tightened around him in an instinctual hug. Between them weaved a complex array of scents both sweet and sour which resulted in an understanding that was almost telepathic in nature.

She stroked the back of Bgrarh's head, then trailed that hand down to run through his mane. "{There's no shame, my love.}"

"{I thought about it!}" he finally burst out, sobbing into her shoulder. "{I wanted to grab her and hold her down and maybe...take her? What's wrong with me?}"

"{She was seducing you, that's all.}"

Bgrarh sniffled and pulled his head away to look at her. Rgrarshok's warm purple gaze calmed him, and he was able to speak without sobbing. "{But that's my role. I show my interest to you, and you pursue me. I'm not supposed to respond like some cock-crazed Alpha. And [Thora] was so small! The next time she comes over, what if I...do something by accident? I could kill her-}"

Her paws clamped tight on either side of Bgrarh's head, forcing him to stare into her eyes and shutting off his rant. "{Stop. You are my love. Do you believe I have good judgement?}"

Bgrarh nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

"{Do you believe that I would offer myself to someone who does not have good judgement?"

He shook his muzzle, making the tip of his nose brush against hers.

Rgrarshok leaned forward and kissed his nose-tip. "{Then be at peace. When dealing with alien body language, your instincts can become cross-wired. You might find yourself thinking things you never expected. But I trust you. We all trust you. When the time comes, you will do the right thing. We'll step in before anything bad happens.}"

----------------------------------------

"{...and could I have that as an extra-fast delivery, please?}"

As he spoke the words, Bgrarh was certain that he'd been found out. Somehow the sneaky tiny-chompers would see through his deception, and the next thing he'd hear would be a burst of derisive laughter.

Instead, the voice on the other end of the call was as smooth as ever. "[Of course, sir. The same address as before?]"

"{Ah, yes! Yes, that's right.}"

"[It'll be about [twenty minutes]. Thank you, sir.]"

If the wait before seemed endless, this one seemed as if time had slowed to a halt. Bgrarh could do nothing but sit and clench his paws together while trying not to work himself into a nervous wreck.

Little-Sniffer's voice sounded from his implant. "[Breathe, [amigo]. We've got your back. Remember, we gotta wait until she starts taking your clothes off before we can bust 'er.]"

Bgrarh nodded without speaking, then jumped almost five feet into the air when he heard a rapping at the front door. "{[Bond, James Bond], license to kill,}" he whispered, then stood and smoothed his shirt one last time.

The door slid open, revealing [Thora]. She wore the same casual outfit as before, but now also donned a loose-fitting red jacket. The familiar pizza-box sat supported in one hand, while her other hand sat on her hip. The latter was cocked out in a decidedly non-innocent fashion. "[Ordering again so soon, [Nghnar]? You must have liked what I brought you.]"

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Bgrarh leaned against the doorframe, mirroring her saucy swagger with a bit of his own hip-sway. Now that he was back in familiar mental territory, he felt some smug satisfaction at seeing one of [Thora's] eyebrows raise in curiosity. Bgrarh knew he turned ladies' heads just due to his sheer size, but this was the first time he'd received lustful interest from someone outside his species. Now that he was faced with that lust, Bgrarh realized to his surprise that he was just fine with that.

"{I did, [Thora]}" he purred. "{I liked it very much.}" Bgrarh looked up from her and saw no aircar parked on the street. His heartbeat increased with a mixture of fear and excitement as he realized [Thora] had taken the bait. "{Please, come on in while I get your payment.}"

He turned and trotted into the foyer, not looking back to see if she followed him. [James Bond] wouldn't, so he didn't. Bgrarh stopped at the entrance to the main room and, with his hearts pounding, turned to face [Thora].

She'd set the pizza on the entry table, and now stood looking him up and down like he was an erzet caught in the open by an entire pack. "[Well. Seems like you're interested in more than [pizza]. Are you ready for a fun time, my big boy?]"

A fresh pulse of that maddening scent filled his head, so like drzulr and yet not. The smell chased out any thoughts of channeling [Sean Connery]. He couldn't keep up the pretense, not when he was faced with this...this infuriatingly cute and oh so unexpectedly sexy creature. "{I, I am,}" he stammered. "{How, ah, how do we do this? I've never done something like this before.}"

"[I can tell. First things first. It's fifteen hundred for the hour. Okay?]"

Bgrarh was no market analyst of prostitution, but that seemed a little rich. Though he had to admit it hard to focus, what with [Thora's] excitement in his nostrils. He knew she wanted him, and that made this whole thing even worse as far as his instincts were concerned. Everything in his body was screaming at him to leap on her and tear her clothes off.

He cleared his throat. "{That's more than okay! Let me get some chits together for you...}" Bgrarh turned away, but the assault on his nose didn't let up. [Thora] walked right behind him as he made his way to the same footlocker he'd used before. As he opened it and bent over, Bgrarh froze as he felt her small hand grope one of his rear cheeks, fondling him right through his pants.

"[Mmmm,]" hummed [Thora]. "[I gotta admit, I'm looking forward to this.]"

With ever-more-blurry vision Bgrarh fumbled through the footlocker until he found what he hoped was a few chits with the right denominations. "{Me too!}" he squeaked.

"[Mind if I ask who told you about the, heh, 'extra-fast special'?]"

He turned and held out the chits, not caring right now if he was handing over a million GRC. "{It was [Hnnresnthsh]. I was telling him how much I liked your [pizza], and he mentioned...well, he told me about the 'extra-fast' thing.}"

[Thora] took the chits from his paw and set them in the pocket of her jacket. She stripped that garment off in a slow and calculated manner, never breaking eye contact with Bgrarh the whole time. Finally, she set her jacket aside on top of a nearby crate. "[How very fortunate for me. [Hnnresnthsh] is a good friend of mine, he and I have shared a lot. Are you ready to share with me as well, big boy?]"

Bgrarh felt like he'd just played two Hunt games back to back. He could feel his fur dampen with sweat as he licked his lips. "{Sure, I mean I don't know what you offer or how you want to, er, you know, do it...}"

[Thora] laughed, but it was a delighted laugh. "[Oh, you are too perfect! I can't wait to corrupt you.]" She stepped closer, and it took every ounce of Bgrarh's self-control not to turn and run. "[Now let's set some ground rules. You can hurt me really bad without meaning to, so I'm gonna be doing the driving the whole time. You understand?]"

Bgrarh nodded, not trusting his voice right now.

She held out her hands, palms up. "[Gooooood boy. Now give me your hands.]" Her voice was now as rich as the syrup Bgrarh's father drizzled over pitcher-cakes when he was a youth.

He wordlessly held out his paws, and [Thora] grasped them with her own, much smaller hands. She gave his paws a gentle squeeze. "[You're so tense.]"

"{I am? I mean, maybe I am a little bit because I really don't want to hurt you by accident and I'm really curious what this will feel like and oh by the Pale Moon your hands are so soft-"

[Thora] squeezed again, cutting off his rambling. "[Shhh, baby, it's okay. I'm tougher than I look. I promise that by the time I leave you'll be a lot more relaxed.]" She stepped right up to his chest as she let go his paws, placing both of her hands on his chest and squeezing at his rock-hard pecs. "[As we [tiny-chompers] like to say, holy [shit]! Do you lift buildings as a hobby or something?]"

"{I, er, did some athletics when I was young,}" he replied. "{Played in a few semipro Hunt leagues, that sort of thing.}"

"[Oh really?]" [Thora] sported a triumphant grin as she slipped one hand down to grope at his crotch. Bgrarh blushed, and without his meaning to his excitement rose from the unexpected fondling.

"[My oh my! What do we have here? You're a big boy in every way, aren't you?]"

Bgrarh's claws twitched in and out of their sockets as conflicting instincts fizzed through his brain, instincts fed by the unfamiliar scent and touch cues from [Thora]. He was torn between two urges. One urge wanted him to shove the aggressively lewd tiny-chomper away from him and run. In the other, darker urge he wanted to reach forward and crush the tiny-chomper against his chest in a fearsome hug before throwing her to the ground and...

...and...

...and where was his pack? he wondered in a daze. She'd thrown herself at him without hesitation, surely this was more than enough evidence?

Forget the mission, Bgrarh knew he had to slow her down before this went too far. "{You know, if I'm, um, if I'm too big I understand. We don't have to, you know...}" All the while he was chanting an internal mantra of please be too big, please be too big...

Her hand didn't let up on its gentle assault on his crotch. "[You just let me be the judge of that, baby. Either way, I'm gonna make sure you get your money's worth. Lie down on your back. Now.]"

Bgrarh was completely frazzled by now, and so he obeyed [Thora] as he would his Alpha. She shucked out of her jeans as he lay down flat. Her disrobing displayed some lacy black underwear which was in stark contrast to her casual outerwear. Before Bgrarh could protest, she thumped her panty-covered crotch right down onto his. The Dorarizin let out a click-squeak as she lay forward onto him. [Thora] ground herself into him, feeling his size through his pants with her own nethers.

"[Oh, I am so ready for this, baby. Are you?]"

By now Bgrarh was ready to do almost anything for her, but he held onto that small sliver of himself that was true to his pack. As much as he feared his own instincts, he had to trust that his Alpha...and Little-Sniffer...would make good on their promise to intervene at the right moment.

"{I am,}" he whimpered.

[Thora] slid herself back and began to unzip his pants with those small, nimble fingers of hers.

Bgrarh clamped both of his paws hard into the floor, the convulsive motion of his claws leaving deep scars in the carpet as he tried not to engage his misfiring instincts.

To her credit, the tiny-chomper sounded concerned. She stopped mid-zip. "[Baby? Are you okay?]"

Bgrarh managed to gasp out, "{Just...wanted to make sure I let you...do the...driving.}"

[Thora] slid back up, rubbing her own nethers against his half-unzipped manhood in a maneuver that made Bgrarh whine. She clasped his head in her tiny hands, unconsciously mirroring what the Captain had done to him earlier. "[Babyyyy...oh, my poor sweet baby, you're so tense. Lie back and let me help you relax, okay? I have the magic touch.]"

Before he could respond she wriggled back downwards (earning another whine) before she grasped him with one hand and kept unzipping him with the other...

"[Alright, sunshine, that's far enough.]" Hearing Little-Sniffer's voice was the most wonderful thing in the world, and almost made up for Bgrarh's embarrassment at his half-undone situation.

[Thora] tumbled off of Bgrarh with a yelp, and he took advantage of that to clasp both of his paws over his groin. She crouched and glared at Little-Sniffer, who stood nearby while sporting the usual cute-but-infuriating grin he wore while making a collar.

"[You're under arrest,]" said Little-Sniffer. "[You have the right to...]"

His tormentor snatched up her pants and jacket with surprising speed for a tiny-chomper, spun and ran for the door. It slid open to reveal a gray-furred wall blocking the entryway.

Rgrarshok ducked her head under the door-frame as she walked forward with the inevitable tread of oncoming doom. [Thora] backpedaled away from the oncoming Captain, her face tense but neutral.

The Captain's voice rumbled the very floor of the apartment. "{[Thora Nedergaard]. You are under arrest for assisting in unauthorized transfer of technical knowledge or engineering to the species known as [tiny-chompers], under Senate statute number Two Thousand Eight Hundred and Ninety-Five, Paragraph B. You have the right to remain silent until you have an advocate present. Do you understand these charges and your rights?}"

[Thora] spun away from the oncoming Captain, only to see that Little-Sniffer now had Myyreh and Egwreh looming behind him in an unspoken message of you are oh so surrounded.

By now Bgrarh had managed to get himself zipped back up again, and stood to the side with the air of someone trying very hard to look like he hadn't been literally caught with his pants down. He crossed his arms and added to the general glower in the room towards [Thora].

The blond tiny-chomper slumped, and let the clothes in her hand drop to the floor. "[Can I at least put my pants back on?]" She reached down for her jeans, only to find that they already dangled from the Captain's paw.

"[No,]" said Little-Sniffer. "[Keep your hands out and away from your sides. If you don't, my buddies here will have to restrain you.]"

[Thora] snorted in derision. "[Oh really, [bootlicker]? You think I might pull a gun on your alien pals?]"

If Little-Sniffer was angry at her words, he didn't show it. "[Nah. But you might have some kind of beacon or pager to let your pals know you've been rumbled. We can't have that now, can we?]"

[Thora] leaned forward and spat at the carpet in front of Little-Sniffer's feet, but she did as instructed and stood with her hands out to her sides. Bgrarh took several deep breaths to clear her scent out of his head, and now that she was no longer putting out a pheremonal signal of interest he felt himself get more under control. He still couldn't help but notice her long bare legs, so oddly devoid of fur, and how those bare limbs went up and up towards those lacy panties...

Bgrarh shifted his gaze away and kept breathing as Little-Sniffer walked forward with a tiny-chomper-sized pair of handcuffs. As his colleague patted down [Thora] and cuffed her, Rgrarshok touched her ear.

"{Ngralh? You're on.}"

----------------------------------------

Hnnresnthsh sat in the loose sort-of-coil indicating Jornissian despair as Ngralh flicked photos and printouts down onto the carpet of the archivist's apartment. The Senate investigator spoke with a clipped precision as he laid out the case.

"[Item Number One, your calls to [Il Tricolore]." Flick. "[Ten times in two months you ordered an 'extra-fast special' with double [pepperoni].]"

"[Item Number Two.]" Flick. "[This is the [warmcuddle] who shows up when one orders a double [pepperoni], one [Thora Nedergaard]. She simply drops off the [pizza] for payment, unless one orders an 'extra-fast special'.]"

"[When that happens, [Thora] does Item Number Three.]" Flick. The last picture showed [Thora] straddling a huge Dorarizin male, grinning in triumph as she unzipped his pants.

"[Provided one pays her, of course,]" continued Ngralh. "[Fifteen hundred for an hour's session. Was it worth it?]"

Hnnresnthsh swallowed, feeling like he'd tried to consume something too big for his throat. He tried to go on the offensive. ""

Ngralh's voice didn't rise in response. "[Because you're one of the only people on this [Harsak-crushed] planet who knows the contents of those Eggs. And [Thora] said you'd 'shared' with her.]"

The Dorarizin gestured, and Hnnresnthsh heard [Thora's] voice in his implant.

"[[Hnnresnthsh] is a good friend of mine, he and I have shared a lot. Are you ready to share with me as well, big boy?]"

As Hnnresnthsh stared at Ngralh in shock, the Senate operative flicked a printout down onto the growing pile on the carpet. "[See this list? This is who the [warmcuddles] target with the 'extra-fast' delivery. All middle-managers in the government, people who know things but who are also low-profile. People just like you. We have several other videos of these [warmcuddles] engaging in 'small talk' with their clients after providing their, heh, 'services'. That talking is anything but innocent. They're digging into the colony, finding out how its government is structured, where its weak points are.]"

The Dorarizin gestured at Hnnresnthsh. "[You were such an unexpected [gold mine], eh? I'll bet [Thora] was very persuasive, showing such interest in what you did for a living. You stumbled over your own tail to tell her, didn't you? She all but said so.]"

Hnnresnthsh crossed his arms and hunched into himself. ""

"[Oh? In that case, why haven't you taken advantage of her services since the Egg's theft? It's been a couple of weeks.]"

""

In response, Ngralh flicked a final photo down in front of the archivist. This one showed [Thora] in handcuffs and no pants, glowering at the camera in defiance.

"[We have her in custody,]" said Ngralh. "[We have a strong case as to what she and her friends are up to. We're going to bust them all, with or without your help. They will confess, to ease their sentences if nothing else, and those confessions will implicate you in this whole mess.]"

Hnnresnthsh slumped further upon seeing [Thora] in shackles, but said nothing.

Ngralh's tone shifted, becoming much warmer. "[You know, a lapse in judgement is nothing to be ashamed of. I understand, and so will the courts. It's not as if you did anything deliberately nefarious.]"

The tension in the archivist, which had been tightening for weeks, now snapped. "" Hnnresnthsh slapped a hand over his mouth at the unexpected outburst, then dropped that same hand in despair.

Ngralh didn't gloat or smile, instead he just nodded. "[Like I said, sir. I understand. You told her of the Eggs?]"

Now that the dam had burst, Hnnresnthsh found himself tripping over his own tongue to tell of what had happened. ""

Hnnresnthsh slithered over to a nearby window and gazed out over the city, not really seeing it as he pondered the ruin of his life and career. ""

----------------------------------------

Oscar touched his ear and grinned up at Bgrarh, who sat on the bench across from him in the shuttle's rear compartment. His Dorarizin friend still looked anxious.

"Jackpot, Benny! Henry just confessed. Little Miss Special over there got a private tour of the storage building."

He tried to ignore the steady glare which Thora was sending his way. She sat sandwiched in between Rgrarshok and Myyreh, looking as dignified as someone could while handcuffed and without pants.

Bgrarh's mane fluffed out in an unspoken gesture of distress as he shifted his blue eyes down towards Oscar. "[That's good. At least this wasn't in vain.]"

Oscar leaned forward and patted Bgrarh's knee. "Dude, you did fine. I don't understand what you're so upset about."

Bgrarh didn't respond. Instead, Thora's throaty voice sounded out. "He lost control." She still looked daggers at Oscar while she spoke.

Oscar glared back. "Got something on your chest, friend? Other than a nice pair of tits?"

"I wasn't talking to you, bootlicker." Thora pointed her chin at Bgrarh. "Look at him. Big as anything, and yet he would have done anything I asked him to."

Bgrarh's furious answering growl filled the shuttle compartment. "[You LIE! I would never betray my pack!]"

Oscar squeezed Bgrarh's knee, trying to distract his angry comrade. "We know that, Benny. She's just trying to get under your skin, get us working against each other."

"Trying and succeeding," responded Thora with a smirk. That smirk went away very quickly when she saw Rgrarshok's own lips peel back in what was very much not a smile.

"[You will be silent,]" said the Captain. "[Now, [Oscar]. Do you still trust the base commander?]"

Oscar nodded. "I do. We need to get him in the loop. Without him, we've got no chance of arresting the others in time."