her didn't react to the insult. Kira couldn't tell if that was because they really were little more than obedient attack dogs, or if they truly didn't care.
Kira picked herself up off the ground, pushing herself to her knees as she glared at the general. The Tsavitee above her didn't attempt to grab her arms again.
"It seems you can learn," Lothos observed when she didn't say anything. "I had my doubts. My brothers told me you were incredibly stubborn. Almost impossible to train."
Kira held her silence. All the generals of the Tsavitee called themselves brothers. He could have been referring to any of them.
"Of course, many of them are dead by your hand, so perhaps they spoke truer than they knew," he said.
Feeling was gradually coming back into her arms and legs and the shakiness was passing.
Good.
"I will admit to being surprised to find you here. Last we knew you were dead or so close to it you didn't matter," he said. "Tell me, are you still capable of the burst?"
Kira stared at him.
"Answer me or they'll use their psions again," he said calmly.
She caught a glimpse of the Tsavitee to her left reaching for her.
"Stay and find out," she said.
He studied her, tapping his fingers against his leg in thought. "I don't think you’ll use it even if you can. Too many emotional attachments to those in this room."
Kira struggled not to react to the surprisingly on-target assessment. She didn't want him to see how close he was to the truth.
"Does it surprise you that we know your weakness?" he asked with a sly smile.
He would have been considered handsome if not for the horns and strange markings on his skin or the fact he was the enemy.
"After our last failure, we made sure to study you and your habits. You've been quiet since using the burst on Rothchild. Only using it once more during the Falling. Some might even say you've been in mourning," he said, his black eyes fixed unwaveringly on Kira's. "Tell me, how many of your friends did you kill there?"
She kept her chin lifted as she forced boredom into her expression. "There's a lot of repressed emotion in this little chat. If you're not careful, I'm going to think the generals feel something for one another."
He bared his teeth. They were those of a meat eater, pointed and sharp. The incisors longer and capable of tearing into flesh or breaking bone.
"Your death will bring much joy to the Tsavitee. The best part is when we inform her of your defeat at our hands. You know, she sometimes screams for her Phoenix."
Everything in Kira went still. Her heart clenched painfully.
"I didn't know," Kira said, her words slow. "Thank you for that. We weren't sure if she lived. I promise to visit the full measure of my vengeance on your brothers as I let them know you're the one who sent me."
It was a promise, to herself and the general. Everything she'd done for the past seven years had been aimed at finding out what had happened to Elise and if she lived. This validated all that work.
The cold-blooded monster within the general peeked out. The need to tear out her throat and bathe in her blood was easy to see. He'd done a good job hiding it until now, almost seeming refined and civilized. That's how they destroyed the first human colonies, by pretending a façade of elegance and honor. Humans had soon learned the truth about them.
She smiled. Try it, she urged.
"Lothos, it's up," one of the Tsavitee said into the quiet. This one wasn’t one of the cannon fodder. His eyes were intelligent and bright as they flicked over Kira.
A reaper—the shock troops of the Tsavitee. Dangerous and powerful and similar in form to the generals.
The general straightened, his height impressive. He would have towered over Graydon.
"Connect me to him," the general said as he turned to face the platform.
The Tsavitee rushed to obey as Kira settled to wait.
Battles were as much about moments as they were tactics and weapons. Strike too soon and you gave up the advantage, wait too long and you've lost before you could turn the tide. It wasn't her moment yet. She needed to wait.
A niggle of awareness drew a line from her to where Jin was lying inert on the ground. His thoughts busy and desperate. She didn't know what he was working on, only that it was important. She'd buy him what time she could.
She chanced