death knell. Kelsey remained crumpled on the floor, her chest heavi
ad tucked under one arm. Her eyes were as covoice a raw, broken rasp. "Wh
, clamped around Kelsey's jaw, forcing her face upward. "You don
ron Empire. And you, from this second forward, a
t. "Empire... property... No. I want
ter-one of the source worlds the trade strips and forgets. The ships that carry cargo out of it don't
est was snuffed out. Her eyes dulled,
in Kelsey's eyes. She walked to a cabinet and retrieved ad earlier is nearly depleted. To ensure you are useful to yo
mbered the device that knocked her out. "No! Don't touch me!" Sh
er tongue. She sn
l. They moved with terrifying speed, grabbing Kelsey by the arms. Their met
met onto Kelsey's head. The cold met
ge system implant. Deep integration mode. Pu
y's ears. Then, a torrential floo
creamed, her back arching in agony. Alien words, complex grammar structu
derstood the hierarchy of the Beastmen. She learned what an "evolutionary catalyst" was
y of Uncle Eddy's face blurred. The smell of the motel room vanished. Her
e droids released her, and Kelsey collapsed, ga
at the trembling woman and spoke in flawless
y implanted neural pathways forced out only the d
her mouth, horrified by how
lue is to provide 'symbiotic catalysis' for your 'maste
" A cold dread began to
s their tool. Your worth lies entirely in pleasing your masters an
elsey up and dragged her toward a sleek, hove
vy doors hissed shut, sealing
new knowledge in her head warred with the fading echoes of her past. She understoo
t estate, a single tear slipped down her cheek. It was
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