The two aliens had bronze-skinned scales and long, thin tails coming out from their backsides. Neither the Rhimodians nor the Terrans had tails.
Kian recognized the species. He had seen them on Disguised Serenity before. Had dealt with some, in fact. Something he was not particularly interested in doing again.
The Charro were not the most honorable of species.
The Ambassador twisted again, and drygok, if it didn't press against him intensifying the Craving.
"Ambassador," he growled.
She ignored him and shifted again like she tried to look around him. "Why are there Charro on your world?"
She certainly asked the obvious question, her tone hinting that she was accusing him of something.
"They are not supposed to be." No one was supposed to be except the Rhimodians. "Where did they come from? Did you bring them?"
"The Terrans? Bring Charro? Never!"
He grimaced. There it was. That superiority that Terrans seemed to always have.
"Then why are they here?"
"You tell me. This isn't my world. I don't even know what this place is for."
"You seem to know already what kind of buildings and machinery we have here."
"Observation. Did you forget we--"
He covered her mouth.
The Charro spoke again. “It’s an escape pod door,” the one, Revo, said. “What do you make of that, Qaro?”
“A Terran one,” Qaro replied. He looked out at the water. “If there’s a Terran here, she’s dead.”
“You going to report in?” Revo asked.
Qaro turned and looked straight at Kian.
Or, at least, straight in his direction. Whether he saw Kian and the Ambassador, Kian didn’t know.
Qaro took a step forward. “You do it. The Terrans will want to know their people are dead.” He didn’t turn away as he spoke and took a couple more steps along the beach, toward Kian.
That was not good.
The Ambassador squirmed again.
Kian glared at her. “Stop,” he whispered, using his firmest tone.
“What’s going on? I can’t see anything.”
“You don’t need to,” he said and shook each hand. In a flash, from his gauntlets, two weapons materialized. One blade, one blaster, ready to take out the enemy.
“Are you armed?” he whispered.
“Do you think you’d be lying on top of me if I was?” she asked.
“Possibly,” he said.
Their gazes locked for a moment.
