"Hopefully so, though I am unsure as to the situation in my home." Jupiter's maw bent into something disapproving and perhaps worried. A lot could have happened in the Terran year it had been since he was apprehended.

Thankfully, 'Vulban' wasn't anything that the translator would pick up. It was close to 'voelbane', a particularly nasty parasitic creature that had once been a scourge for his race, but that wasn't what he was being asked to call this fellow, so as long as he was careful in his pronunciation, things should be alright. "Vulban is not a word within my vocabulary, so I assume that the translator should not interfere with that." Jupiter nodded to indicate that he would use that name now that they had agreed upon something.

But then it was back to business, of course. What had caused them to bring him here for a year and sentence him to death? Well, it was a long story, but he had been asked for it, and since he was also curious why Vulban was here (and maybe knowing would give him some more insight into what partnership they could arrange), he began to oblige him.

"I am not particularly vicious for my kind. But, my people are not abundant like the humanoid races. We mate when we meet and enjoy the company of one another, but we are spread thin on a large planet, so such meetings are few. Ancient wisdom warns against living too close to each other, and we are often not especially kind to one another when we do."

"This makes us a sparse people, with great loyalty to those whom we love. It is said that there is one, and only one, for each person; and I have seen this to be true. Regardless, my One and I had found each other, and were raising a child. This was some three Terran years ago, now; one day a pair of Terran research vessels invaded my territory, and it was my duty to protect my family. I attempted to ward them off, but the vessels took interest in me instead of leaving, and so I was required to, as it is said, use force. I'm told that I killed more than four hundred that day: the two ships, no longer capable of flight with their hulls breached by my light, plummeted into the planet. Reinforcements arrived, and I once more defended my territory. It took them three years to bring a ship large enough to withstand my assault: I hear that they designed special armor with which to outfit this ship."

"You see, my territory apparently contains a deposit of very expensive materials, and Terrans are a very greedy sort of creature. They dashed thousands upon my fury for the sake of whatever it was that they believed they needed. I believe they only captured me for sadistic reasons, or possibly in the hopes of training or observing me. Sadly for them, I am much more intelligent than a tameable beast, and they have observed me for long enough, and so now my time is coming to an end."

"I... still do not know what happened of my family. As much as I hope that when we escape, I will have One to return to and a glorious daughter to teach and enjoy, I am uncertain what the Terrans would have done to them. I only hope that they fled and allowed the conquerors access to whatever we had which was so important."