Decided to write out a large block of the end and then fill out the rest. Worked, too.
“Not just this world! Not even this… cluster of worlds, the ones ruled over by a species whose name none of us ever dare to say! Ever wonder about that, Pam? Ever try to think too hard why we don’t use the names–” he went on to say the original name of the planet, and the species who lived there. I got a little bit of a shudder when he did that, I have to admit. The names aren’t hard for human throats to say, and they’re not dreadful. Not evil.
But… “Those names, they’re not for us to use,” I replied. “We respect that. But I don’t think the original inhabitants mind us being here. We’re trying to live up to being part of the Amalgamation, the best we can.”
“That’s it!” [xxxx] practically howled. “That’s it! The Amalgamation is dead, Pam. It was murdered, and we have no idea why, how, or who. We should be dead, too. Why was humanity spared? What makes us so special, to live where other species, greater species perished?” I could see his gun barrel oscillate a little as he started to get into full rant mode — and then he stepped back from the brink, dammit. “But you know why, Pam. You should say it.”