Bok Flireen had been playing this as carefully as he could. He had to. His life likely depended on it. Trying to leverage the Elites was a big risk, especially for a mid-level Trader like himself. Of course, Zetas were nothing if not ambitious. Flireen was no different in that regard. Still, to pull this off and to set up his family for what he hoped would be a lifetime, he had to play his hand perfectly.

And what a hand he had!

It was hard for him to remain stoic and tell no one what he'd learned, especially his trading partner of many years, Teek Bitrall, who somehow still managed to know something was up. In fact, prior to this last run out to Sentilli, Bok had never attempted a solo trip without his partner. He thought about bringing him along, but in the end decided if this went south, he alone would take on the consequences. Besides, if it went the other way, he would happily cut his friend in on some of the spoils. For now, though, that was the last thing on his mind. Bok realized that as a Trader he was much better off than Zeta's Surface Dwellers (SDs), which admittedly wasn't saying much. The SDs were essentially indentured servants to the ruling Elite. Calling them slaves would be closer to the truth.

As a Trader, Bok's life was better...much better. His services were in high demand, especially on a dying world desperately dependent upon the resources and labor of outside systems. Given this reality, Elites had little choice but to grant Traders a certain level of autonomy. Zeta Reticulon was a world that had been "civilized" for millennia but due to desperate conditions brought on by a global population that continued to contract, maintaining the Elite's "expected" high standard of living necessitated the exploitation of labor and an endless supply of exotic, off-world luxury items and services that the ruling class "required". Keeping that supply of goods flowing helped Traders like Bok Flireen since it intrinsically provided political capital that could be used to avoid the suffering and endless oppression that existed on the surface.

Bok's frequent travels also gave him additional entrepreneurial opportunities to generate "enhanced resources", including exo-estates and other valuables that were rarely, if ever, reported to the government. Of course, none of this was "official". As a Trader, Bok fully understood his place in Zeta's caste system and realized that the Elites could remove his wealth and privilege in an instant if they so desired. This absolute truth had Bok Flireen worried.

His long-awaited meeting with the Deputy Supreme Leader was to occur today. Weeks earlier, he was set to talk to a much lower level official in his home province. That all changed however when Bok disclosed the nature of his information...Humans. The endless delays and dismissals he had previously experienced suddenly disappeared. While some of his friends and family interpreted this as good news, Bok did not. Such a dramatic shift in government interest gave him considerable pause. He knew that the Office of the Supreme Leader could instantly make his life infinitely and permanently better. He also knew that this same omnipotent Office could do whatever it wanted, without any worry of reprisal...

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"Deputy Supreme Leader, your appointment with the Trader from Rizon Province is waiting for you in your reception area."

"Provide more detail, female. Inform me again why a Trader has been granted a viewing? Also, why do you continue to speak? Do so again without permission and I will have your tongue permanently removed. No one wishes to hear your vulgar guttural notes," replied Zalek Trig telepathically.

The assistant, looking to the ground this time, weakly communicated her thoughts.

"I cannot say for certain Deputy Supreme Leader, but his registration entry suggests that he has important news regarding the Humans. More than that I do not know."

With his back to her, Trig quickly flicked two fingers to signify that the Trader should enter. He silently added, "This better be worth my time."

The room was dimly lit. As Bok Flireen entered he was barely able to make out the silhouette of an individual directly across from him on the far wall. He assumed it was the Deputy Supreme Leader.

"Trader Flireen. Welcome, please sit," Trig bellowed.

With his back against the wall, the Deputy pointed to an empty seating area to Bok Flireen's left. Without saying (or thinking) another word, the very nervous Trader sat down as instructed. Despite his inability to see much detail, Bok's sense of touch immediately informed him that the seat was cold, metallic, and by design, not comfortable in any way. After he was seated, Zalek Trig took a few paces to his right and sat down at a large, dark desk. Given the significant distance between them, coupled with the room's low lighting, the setting was unsettling and surreal to the Trader, which of course was also by design. Despite multiple attempts to directly control his breathing and heart rate, Bok was failing on both fronts.

The Deputy finally communicated to him silently.

"So good Trader, what brings you to the Capital Province?"

Bok swallowed hard and took a deep breath. He also made sure he put up every mental block he could muster. He wanted to gather and form his thoughts very carefully before replying, telepathically.

As for the deputy's opening question, Bok knew it wasn't real. They both knew why he was here. Still, if he had to participate in psychological gamesmanship, then so be it...

"Thank you for seeing me, Deputy Supreme Leader. I know you are very busy. I think the information I have to share will be of great interest to you."

The Deputy stood up from his desk. His movement however didn't improve Bok's ability to see much detail beyond what he had been able to make out previously. Trig walked in front of his desk placed his hands on his hips.

"I am listening," he said.

Before responding, Bok temporarily blocked all of his thoughts out. Whether he liked it or not, his base survival instincts were beginning to kick in. He knew that he would not last long in this setting. His original plan was to strategically negotiate terms for the information he had to trade. But being here...now...in this setting... he realized that his best...perhaps only chance for survival was to not press his luck, and instead, simply say what he had come to say. And then ...perhaps...if the opportunity presented itself...carefully see what he might be able to get in return.

Swallowing hard again, Bok finally replied.

"I can tell you the precise location of millions of non-Terran Human beings. I can also share with you that they are prospering in all ways imaginable," Bok mentally blurted out nervously.

Trig remained motionless in front of his desk for what seemed like an eternity. Predictably, the pregnant pause made Bok even more uncomfortable. He did what he could to block his emotions and thoughts...but who was he kidding? The Deputy had expertly arranged everything! Under these circumstances, there was no chance of an even playing field let alone an opportunity for him to hold some sort of leveraged bargaining advantage. Still, he had just given the Deputy, and by proxy, the Supreme Leader actionable and very valuable intelligence.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the Deputy responded.

"Interesting...and rather surprising. For the moment, I will assume that your information can be verified. If so, your intelligence will be duly rewarded."

The Deputy slowly walked around his desk and sat down.

"Who else is aware of this information?" The Deputy asked audibly, which surprised Bok and made him even more uncomfortable.

Suddenly, Bok felt a sick churn in his lower-most abdomen. As an involuntary response to his physical reaction, he blocked all outgoing thoughts. Unfortunately, he knew it was too late. Something did get out. His immediate thought was to protect his partner, even though he wasn't even there. Maybe I'm being parranoid. Maybe the Deputy didn't catch any of it...

"What is your partner's name and was anyone else with you when you discovered this information? Did you speak with anyone else afterward?" asked Deputy Trig.

Bok was doing everything in his power to maintain a complete mental block. Given his current emotional state, he wasn't sure that was even possible as the sinking feeling in his lower gut continued to get worse by the second. Somehow, in an instant, he had unconsciously betrayed his long-time friend and partner despite the fact Teek had nothing to do with the exchange. What had he just done? All of this was an enormous mistake!

The Deputy broke the silence by speaking once again.

"For you and your partner, yes, I am afraid it was. A mistake that neither of you will be able to recover from, unfortunately. Still, I want you to take comfort knowing that your sacrificial efforts were not made in vain."

Bok was in complete shock as he sat helplessly in the cold metal chair. Within seconds, and without warning, a massive electric current pulsed through his entire body.

After several violent convulsions, Bok Flireen's body slumped out of the chair and crumpled to the floor. A sickly sweet smell of partially cooked flesh filled the room. Through it all, Deputy Trig sat motionless, at his desk, in near-darkness.

Finally, he called out audibly, "Servant! Appear before me!"

His assistant appeared, head down, looking at the floor.

"Clean this mess up. After you finish, set up a secure line with Supreme Leader Toeth and contact my Chief of Staff and inform him that I will require his services immediately."