"So," Big Mek Ghazghk asked, tapping a sparking button on the control console with a greasy wrench as he turned his little green face, smeared with engine oil and a smug grin, "Boss, where we headed next? Gonna steal more shards?"
The craft's cockpit was filled with a peculiar blend of ozone, scorched Squig meat, and some kind of high-energy lubricant. To the Gretchin, it smelled like paradise. Liu Zhipeng had already shifted into his preferred human form. He lounged in a captain's chair cobbled together from the wreckage of various warships, idly browsing the dataslate Ghazghk had acquired during his "Free Shopping" spree on Mars.
"Steal?" Liu Zhipeng lifted his eyelids and corrected him. "Ghazghk, watch your wording. This is a 'strategic resource transfer,' conducted to preserve peace and stability in the Milky Way Galaxy and prevent these dangerous objects from falling into the wrong hands. We're allies of justice."
"Ohhh!" Ghazghk nodded vigorously in sudden understanding. "I get it! Just keeping 'em somewhere else! So, Big Boss, whose goodies are we gonna 'keep safe' next?"
"An old friend." A malicious smile curled Liu Zhipeng's lips. "The Sautekh Dynasty. Imotekh the Stormlord."
The wrench in Ghazghk's hand fell to the floor with a clang. His little yellow eyes went perfectly round, and he stammered, "I-Imotekh?! Boss, he's a tough one! The best tin-can general in the whole Milky Way Galaxy! I heard he ain't got circuits in his head-he's got a whole tactical database! Even when he goes to the toilet, he calculates thirty-six optimal plans!"
"That's right." Liu Zhipeng's smile grew even brighter. "But being a tough customer means he has plenty of good stuff. A control freak like him is bound to keep all his treasures right under his nose. Doesn't that make our 'strategic transfer' easier?"