Pakchikt eventually neared the human controlled region of space identified as the Galactic Union. His ship was fast, and the trip was a straight run with no stops, but he had been in near-hibernation, so he was older when he got there. A while had passed since the client’s offspring had been murdered, but no cancellation had been submitted and transmitted to his ship. So he continued on his mission.
He had the ship scan the region for a friendly, suitable planet on which he could petition for leave. He needed to stretch and exercise. Ship found one for him.
The planet was inhabited, with good interplanetary trade in its own system. The folk were decent, and security was adequate for their needs. They even had some natural areas on their planet, and allowed Pakchikt to rough it. He climbed mountains and swam across streams and buried himself in moldy leaf debris and sand dunes. His strength and suppleness improved.
He made friends, the kind you meet in bars, who, after a few free drinks, tell you what you want to know and then forget what they told you. Three of his new friends were traders who went off world, serious imbibers who viewed his stills and told him about the wicked witch of a planet called Faire. One swore the thing in the pics was an exact match to the being in the vids in the kiosks set around Faire, which reminded the people of some bad old thing, as well as many better, more recent things. The kiosks were also used to teach the visitors and young children the history of the society, and moral lessons. But that creature was called Deena, and Kate, not Buster. They were sure; if this wasn’t the same creature, it was the same species.
Pakchikt decided to find and study the being, and he up and left for Faire.