For Kira, that word was deeply rooted in the identity of those who'd once called themselves her master.
Graydon shifted as if reading her hunger for blood. The change was slight as he readied himself for battle. "Halfbreed."
Kira's smile was humorless. "I thought so. I’ve heard it before—in the camp where I spent my childhood."
Graydon’s and Harlow's attention snapped to the captain.
He snarled a curse.
Kira took a chance, dropping into the Tsavitee language. "Your skin is wearing thin, and your deceptions no longer fool the eyes, shapechanger."
She saw the moment when the captain's resolve faded. He shot a glance at one of his crew members, one who stood slightly apart from the rest. He looked as Tuann as any, if one ignored the eerily smooth skin or the placid detachment with which he observed the situation. Unlike the rest, there was no unease or fear at being faced with two powerful Tuann.
That utter lack was warning enough.
At the captain's mistake, the man's eyes finally filled with emotion. Greed and hunger fought for control. He sprang forward, the skin he hid behind tearing to reveal a Tsavitee shapechanger. Sexless and bald, claws outstretched as his mouth opened wide, he streaked across the deck toward Kira.
She barely had time to prepare, tensing to dodge.
She needn't have bothered.
An en-blade appeared, separating the skin walker's head from its shoulders as the marshal Kira had met her first day on the planet stepped into view, seemingly out of thin air. His gaze was serene as he slashed his blade through the air, slinging the blood from it in one smooth movement.
Nearly identical to the Overlord's, the marshal's armor gleamed in the sunlight. These weren't the ornate ceremonial pieces Liara had worn to greet her. These were meant for war. Plain. Simple. Utterly efficient. Without a hint to announce either man's rank or status.
"I suppose this merits a thank you," Kira told Makon.
The faintest hint of warmth touched his expression. "No need. I suspect you would have had it in hand soon enough. Baiting the creature was a wise move."
Kira was glad someone thought so. The shaking in her hands disagreed. Shapechangers were nasty creatures, reliant on poison as much as their claws. If he'd managed to nick her or pierce her skin in any way, she might not have survived long enough to make it to a medic.
Kira glanced beyond him to find shock had settled on the crew's faces.
"We didn't know anything about this," the captain tried.
Lie.
Kira wasn't the only one to think so either, judging by the way Harlow and Graydon watched him like lions studying a juicy gazelle.
The marshal transferred his attention to Harlow. "I pulled the record, as you asked. This ship has had two warnings before about straying into protected waters. Whether they knew or not, they're still responsible."
The captain started to bluster a denial.
Harlow raised a hand, cutting him off.
The captain fell silent. The appearance of the shapechanger had knocked some of his confidence out of him.
Before, he had postured, convinced he could talk his way out of this. Now, he realized the waters he'd sailed into were much more treacherous and deeper than he'd previously assumed.
Makon paused, waiting. When the captain said nothing else, he continued. "This ship is registered to House Dethos. They are a small House. It is my opinion this is a deliberate trespass on our authority and should be treated accordingly."
Harlow studied Graydon. "And you?"
Graydon's smile was the stuff of nightmares. "They've directly broken several of the emperor's laws."
"We haven't," one of the crew pleaded.
He flinched when Graydon's attention settled on him, white-hot and edged with violence. "You were caught with alu-ongin your cage. Found to be hosting an abomination created by an enemy that has already attacked us once. Had the Tsavitee gotten a hold of alu-ongfor their experiments, the damage done to us would have been catastrophic. There is no other way to interpret those actions."
