Graydon rolled his eyes. "We're not as weak as you."
Raider shrugged. "Suit yourself."
Graydon wrapped his soul's power around him and the others, creating a small bubble of protection seconds before the small space exploded.
The group disappeared into the gaping hole, gone in seconds.
*
Kira felt the vibrationfrom the explosion.
The Curs might be human, but they knew what was at stake. They'd protect Liara and the others to the end.
Throw in Graydon and the others were as safe as she could make them.
She bared her teeth, ones every bit as sharp as the Tsavitee general's had been. She looked over her prey.
Now that the others were out of the way, she could take off the chains keeping her in check.
Time to go hunting.
*
Ashort time later, every Tsavitee in the chamber was dead. She stood over their bodies victorious, covered in blood. She tilted her head up and basked in the moment.
A slight warning beep from the platform shook her from her exultation.
She opened an eye and scowled at the offending sound. It ignored her displeasure, merrily beeping away.
She growled and stalked over to it, her clawed feet clicking against the stone. At some point she'd lost her shoes, not that that bothered her. Her feet were more powerful this way, and shoes irritated the claws.
Kira eyed the space. A small button glowed in midair.
Someone was hailing the command center.
She stared at it for several seconds, the urge to go back to enjoying her kills strong.
The beeping continued.
She jabbed her finger at the button.
"What?" she snapped.
"Tuann ship theValianthailing the Luathan Overlord. This is Commander Kai requesting immediate assistance."
Kira struggled to think past her immediate needs, the berserker rage of this form making difficult.
"Please come in," Kai said, some of his strain getting through to her.
Kai. She knew him. He was one of Graydon's people. She liked Graydon. He'd called her beautiful and kissed her. She sometimes wanted to bite him then force him to chase so she could run. He brought parts of her to life, made her feel whole and safe.
"What do you want?" The words were stilted and unnatural, not sounding like Kira in the least. This form wasn't meant for long conversations, it was meant for killing.
"Your second line defenses have gone online and are targeting my ship anytime we get close. There is a Tsavitee warship bearing down on us. My ship is a diplomatic ship. It’s not equipped to withstand the firepower of a dreadnaught. Let us pass through your defenses so we can land."
Kira looked at the array. "Don't know how to do that."
Silence crackled over the line. "This is Luatha command, isn't it?"
