“Hello, friend,” Kira crooned at the silver scorpion curled up in the corner.“I hear you have something for me.”
The scorpion twitched at the sound of her voice, uncurling its four pairs of legs one set at a time before facing Kira.For an insect, it was oddly cute with its oversized claws and the gems Jin had used as its eyes.
Even its menacing looking stinger looked oddly adorable.Done up in a gradient of blue and pink.
“Hello, Kira.You are right.I do have something for you,” the scorpion said in an emotionless voice.
Dylan leaned over Kira’s shoulder.“Is that what he used to knock me out?”
Kira held still as the scorpion climbed onto the hand she offered.“Probably.”
The oshota scrutinized the venomous arachnid.“I did not expect it to be so small.”
“The most dangerous things often come in the tiniest of packages.”
Size was no impediment for deadliness.For instance, the glaston wasp found on a little known planet in the Haldeel empire was no bigger than a human fingernail and yet held enough venom in its stinger to drop five full grown Haldeel.
“You’re lucky Jin likes you.”Kira nodded at the scorpion.“I’m pretty sure he modeled this thing’s stinger off of a Haldeel firelance.”
The firelance held enough power to penetrate the hull of one of their Chariots.Let alone synth armor.
“I’m not sure ‘like’ is what I’d call it.”
“I am,” Kira said.
After incapacitating him, Jin could have left Dylan defenseless and vulnerable.Instead, he’d hidden him in the safest place he could access on short notice.
“Maksym, Finn and the human have arrived,” Solal announced from the hallway.
Raider appeared a moment later, his attention still directed over his shoulder at the Tuann standing in the hallway.“Graydon, when are your people going to learn my name?”
“When they feel you warrant the effort.”
“You getting this, Kira?They don’t think I’m memorable enough.”
Kira gave her friend a look.“Don’t make this a thing.”
From the predatory way Raider was considering Solal, she thought it might already be too late for that.
Irritated, she glanced at Graydon.
He shrugged as if to say “what can you do?”.
Raider walked to her and leaned over her shoulder.“What’s this?Did Jin leave us a gift?”
Kira slapped his hand away before he could poke the scorpion.Just in time, as the scorpion’s tail crackled ominously.
Raider lowered his arm.“A gift with bite.”
The scorpion brandished its stinger at him one last time before facing Kira.“Would you like to see what my master left you?”
“Master?”Raider laughed.“That’s priceless.I didn’t realize Jin’s interests bent in that direction.”
“I have permission to neutralize annoyances,” the scorpion declared crisply.
“Sure—that might be fun.”
No.No, it wouldn’t be fun.It would be disastrous.
