The room fell into silence. Raliya's retort died in her throat, her eyes narrowing; confusion, and a hint of irritation, creeping into expression now. Kirsi's gaze was unflinching, her calm mask never wavering, even as tension hung in the air.

  Finally, Raliya broke the silence with sharp demand: "What did you lose?" There was no hiding skepticism in her voice…

  Kirsi didn't waver. She just met Raliya's gaze evenly without breaking eye contact. Her voice was still steady when she finally answered the demand:

  "My people."

  That made Raliya freeze. "Your people?" She repeated slowly, as if unsure she'd heard right. Her tail went still; ears pricked, and she suddenly looked less like a lion waiting to pounce and more...curious.

  Kirsi nodded once; her expression remained steady despite Raliya's confusion. "I lost everyone from my homeland."

  Raliya tilted her head like a bird of prey; still skeptical, but no longer openly aggressive. Her question was quieter this time. "How...How many?”

  Kirsi took a slow breath before answering. "Twenty-two million." Her tone was still eerily level and calm.

  Raliya's eyes widened in shock, her tail going motionless behind her. She clearly hadn't been expecting an answer like that. "Twenty-two...million?"

  Kirsi didn't answer immediately. Her expression was still cool and composed...but there was pain in her eyes too. "Yes," she said simply, and that one word carried a world of pain in it.

  A beat of silence passed as Raliya stared at Kirsi like she'd suddenly sprouted horns. Her jaw was actually slack in shock and her tail hung limply behind her now, all evidence of hostile body language gone. Her voice was so quiet one had to strain to hear it: "...How?"

  Kirsi's gaze dropped to the table. There was a haunted look in her expression now, but her tone never wavered: "Virus. A 'super-strain' of something like the common flu. It spread so fast on Ukiuq, nobody could even react in time. Then came an invasion of hostile aliens on the planet: ones who were immune to our weapons at the time.”

  Raliya's head was spinning. It was like she'd been hit with an emotional bulldozer in a matter of seconds. There was a long, stunned moment where she just stared at Kirsi as if she couldn't wrap her head around what she'd just learned. Her voice was strangely soft when she spoke again:

  "...You..." A beat where she seemed genuinely at a loss for what to say. Finally: "So you too know what it's like to lose everything to your enemies. So that means you admit that violence is sometimes necessary to change things, yes?”

  Kirsi let out a dry laugh; the irony wasn't lost on her. Raliya wasn't being antagonistic now, just honest. And so, Kirsi spoke with the same bluntness.

  "Yes. I know." The cool mask hadn't cracked yet, but there was a raw vulnerability behind her expression that even she couldn't fully hide. She took a quick breath before continuing; "But there's a difference.”

  Raliya leaned forward slightly, her tail twitching with interest. "A difference?" she echoed, voice still quieter than before, less hostile and more...curious now.

  Kirsi's golden eyes flickered to hers as if searching for something in them: "You lost people under our Empire’s rule," she stated plainly. Then, with deliberate weight behind each word: "I lost mine because we were too late to stop an alien invasion while yours suffered at the hands of men who knew exactly what they were doing." A pause; long enough that even Dodeka shifted uncomfortably near the wall again before Kirsi added quietly: "...So tell me this honestly...do you really think killing every last human with fair skin will bring back your dead?"

  "...Not bring them back, but I will avenge them.”

  Kirsi exhaled sharply, something dangerously close to a scoff slipping past her composure for the first time.

  "Then you're no better than those who enslaved your people," she said coldly, voice edged with something almost like disgust. "Because vengeance doesn't bring back the dead; it just creates more of them."

  Raliya's ears flattened instantly at that; tail lashing once before going rigid again as if struck by an insult too personal to ignore... But then? A slow blink, her expression shifting into something unreadable: "...And what would you suggest instead?"

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  The challenge in Raliya’s tone was obvious now…but so was curiosity beneath it all. Kirsi had caught attention after all.

  Kirsi tilted head slightly: "Justice." She tapped finger against the datapad screen where live footage still played showing three former Presidents blissfully unaware they were being hunted already…before locking eyes onto Raliya again: "Not slaughtering innocents. Making sure each person responsible pays properly under law.”

  Raliya was silent for a long time; her eyes focused on surveillance footage like it was something hypnotizing. Kirsi had managed to get through to her on some level...and it showed.

  But there was still a bit of stubbornness left in Raliya; a spark of anger that made her expression darken again. "How does your justice help my people now, when we've been suffering so long?" The question was laced with frustration but also...desperation.

  Kirsi let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. There was an almost sad look in her eyes as she watched Raliya wrestle with her conscience.

  Her voice softened. She leaned forward slightly; trying to get Raliya to meet her gaze again. "I know what pain is like," she said gently. "I know what anger, loss, and sorrow feel like. I understand why you're so angry and why you fight the way you do. But I'll ask you this: Have you thought about what will happen after you get your vengeance?”

  Raliya's ears flicked defensively for a second, like part of her still wanted to spit back a sharp retort reflexively. But Kirsi's calmness was somehow disarming as if she could see straight through Raliya's anger to the hurt beneath.

  Raliya let out a long sigh; the sound edged with frustration and pain like she'd been holding onto this hurt for far too long. "No," she admitted softly. "I...I didn't think past that.”

  Kirsi nodded; a silent motion of understanding. Her golden gaze on Raliya was surprisingly gentle, a reminder that she, too, understood deep pain even if circumstances differed.

  "You can get justice, but then what?" Kirsi whispered, her voice as soft as a gentle breeze now. "Once the anger and pain fade...what's left?"

  Raliya's expression twisted; like those words had hit something particularly sensitive deep within her. It was obvious that no one had ever asked her that before.

  Raliya's voice cracked when she answered this time; the anger giving way to genuine hurt.

  "I..." She faltered briefly, looking away from Kirsi for the first time. "I don't know," she admitted in a quiet, helpless tone that sounded almost...lost.

  Kirsi's expression softened even more at the realization that Raliya's anger came from a place of deep hurt. She could feel the weight of Raliya's pain, the years of trauma and suffering that had turned the Fennec into someone fueled by anger and vengeance.

  Kirsi exhaled slowly, her golden eyes never leaving Raliya's face. She didn’t push, just waited in that heavy silence until the Fennec leader finally lifted her gaze again.

  When she did, Kirsi spoke softly: "Then let me help you."

  A beat passed where Raliya just stared at her like she was trying to decide if this was some kind of trick or not…before muttering under breath: "You really think your way works?" Her voice lacked its usual bite though, now more tired than anything else.

  Kirsi tilted head slightly as she replied: "I know it does."

  Raliya studied Kirsi's expression for a long moment, like she was looking for a hint of doubt or insincerity. But there was none there. Instead, she found only a sense of steadiness and determination.

  Raliya exhaled heavily; her tail twitching like it always did when she was thinking hard about something. It took a moment before she finally managed to speak: "...Alright," she murmured, voice surprisingly quiet. "I'll...I'll hear you out.”

  Kirsi nodded silently; her own expression solemn. "First," she said softly, "I have a proposal."

  Raliya arched a brow, clearly not expecting that. Proposal? Her tone was cautious now but, if anything, her curiosity seemed a bit more prominent. "...Go on then.”

  There was a new gleam in Kirsi's eyes when she answered Raliya this time; a flicker of determination. "I want to make a deal."

  Raliya's brow knitted slightly. She tilted her head like that wasn't exactly what she expected...but she stayed quiet, giving Kirsi a chance to continue.

  Kirsi leaned forward slightly, her golden eyes sharp and unwavering. "Give me one week to prove my way works," she said firmly.

  Raliya's tail twitched in surprise, her expression flickering between skepticism and reluctant intrigue: "One week? And what exactly are you planning within that time frame?"

  Kirsi didn’t blink. "Justice." The word was heavy with meaning as she pulled up surveillance footage again on the datapad, this time zooming in on President Vexa’s face clearly for Raliya to see…before adding coolly: "...But not yours."

  The unspoken offer hung thick in the air now; an agreement waiting to be sealed either by blood or by peace…

  Kirsi nodded; a quiet hum of understanding slipping past her lips. "I'm not asking you to do nothing, Raliya," she replied calmly.

  She leaned forward even more now; golden eyes locked onto Raliya's as if she was trying to reach the Fennec's very soul with this next question: "I'm asking you to trust me...for one week."

  Raliya inhaled sharply, that single question sending a wave of emotions through her: caution, desperation, hope...but under it all, a hint of something like eager hunger.

  "What about the murders? They won't stop.”

  Kirsi wasn't cowed by Raliya's skepticism now. In fact, she seemed almost amused at the challenge. "Something like that," she replied casually with a faint smile.

  Raliya's tail lashed behind her. "And I'm just supposed to trust you? On your word?" The words were a mix of challenge, sarcasm, and desperate hope.

  Kirsi's smile never wavered. She just leaned forward slightly; gold eyes steady and unwavering as she replied: "Yes."

  It was just a single word, but it hit Raliya like a punch in the gut. It was a simple promise. A single yes to a question with a huge meaning behind it. Trust. Something few people had ever given Raliya before.

  There was a beat of tense silence while Raliya fought a silent war inside herself. It was obvious now: Raliya wanted to say yes. But could she?