Earl blinked, as if unable to believe I could be so dense.

“Isn’t it obvious? Look at what’s been discovered here! A race of beings that defies death! One that responds to new circumstances – even dying – with agility and utter ferocity.”

“You mean…”

“I mean the Cal’marians are anti-demmies!”

“So, you hope to unleash them on the galaxy as competitors to Demmies and the FAW?”

“That was the intent. Only thanks to your party’s arrival, we were able to make a fantastic discovery! It seems that Leininger’s disease can affect Demmies too. Demmie vampires!”

“I’ve met one. What’ll that accomplish?”

The two Spertins chuckled, almost as one. And the sphinx-rider answered.

“Think of it. A new layer to the food pyramid, roaming the spaceways and preying on all the natural demmies? That ought to keep them occupied a while!”

I blinked. “Occupied – to what purpose?”

He gave me that pitying look again, like a particularly stupid cousin. “The purpose of stopping their spread across the galaxy! Charming the socks off of every newly contacted race and winning through sheer luck! The nasty little usurpers. To what purpose? How about re-establishing the rightful place of humanity in the universe!”

Ohm stepped toward them.

“Might I point out that we overcame the Nomorts at your castle, Earl Dragonlord, making our escape with the help of Sully and Lorg and Professor Ping, here. And Doctor Montessori dealt quite capably with a demmie version.” (I had to wonder; how did he know about that?) Ohm shrugged and concluded nonchalantly. “Anyway, vampires aren’t so tough.”

All this time, I had noticed Professor Ping approach the big computer, studying it. “You know, I cannot help wondering—” the local savant began, ignored by everyone but me.

“Oh yeah?” Earl Dragonlord sneered back at the captain. “Just wait till nightfall, when hundreds of Nomorts will come swooping in to fix you all!”

Coalshack stamped a foot. “Then I will put out a call to the Standards of every neighboring city. We have been arming ourselves – using cremation to keep secrecy – preparing for a final confrontation. This will be the day!”

He turned to the sphinx-riding Spertin. “Where is my detonator?”

With a faux-apologetic expression, that fanatic of human-descent smiled and pointed to the mouth of his erstwhile mechanical monster, and we could see a crumpled pile of parts stuck between several molars. “Your primitive explosive devices wouldn’t have worked, anyway,” he assured the Cal’mari cop.

Coalshack, furious, started raising his weapon, clearly intent on putting more notches on the handle, this time a pair of alien invaders. But Ohm stopped him with a firm grip on one arm.

“Never mind, officer.”

“It’s detective inspector!”

“Well, then never mind defective introspector. I’ll handle this.”