There wasn't any time to react as the Turian beside Cantenelli grabbed the pistol on his hip and let a shot rip across Kala's face. The shot rang out through the bridge, and the resulting ricochet of the round as it bounced off the hull behind Kala had the pilot jumping slightly and taking his eyes off the multitude of consoles to see what had happened. The round had torn a gash across Kala's cheekbone, despite the burn marks from round's friction, blood wasn't far behind the bullet.<br/><br/>The Salarian looked at Cantenelli as the red trails began to slide down the Human's cheek. The Turian kept his gun pointed at Kala, the outrage at her still etched onto his Turian features.<br/><span style="color: Blue"><br/>
I'm sorry that I failed to mention this. No one on my crew appreciates being insulted, this Turian least of all.</span>Cantenelli explained.<span style="color: Blue">So it would probably be in your best interest to avoid unnecessary bravado. As I said we prefer to be civilized, but only if you return the courtesy.</span><br/><br/><span style="color: Blue">Now, I am inclined to believe your story. You aren't the caliber of person that someone would send to remove this ship from my possession. You probably noticed the security systems on board when you tried to hack them. You also no doubt noticed the oddities in its design.</span>Cantenelli paused and looked at Kala's cheek before motioning to the Salarian among them. The Salarian approached and drew a small vial marked at Medi-Gel from his waist and applied it to her face with a well experienced hand.<br/><br/><span style="color: Blue">You were right to call her beautiful. She's a ship that, when kept in caring hands, will never cease to amaze. The Turian military wants to use her to make a more efficient killer. I just want to let her fly.</span>Cantenelli smiled slightly and looked around the bridge.<br/><br/><span style="color: Blue">What you were wrong to do is try and break in. By all reason, I have the right to kill you right here and right now, and I have half a mind to do so.</span>The Human's face darkened as he stared Kala down.<span style="color: Blue">You try to break into my ship, then insult me and my crew and for what? What reason? To take a look at her? I should kill you for just being a fool if nothing else. What reason, exactly, do I have to not kill you?</span><br/><br/><br/>***<br/><br/><br/>Ashana was moving before Firas stopped his sentence. She was unnerved for reasons beyond her. Intuition, they called it. Still, without knowledge of why or what, she felt that Firas was right. Returning to the Acheron for the moment was a good idea. The two of them could regroup and go to the rendezvous point and, hopefully, find out why Sorv was responding.<br/><br/>Ashana was struck by a moment of confusion as Firas finished by announcing that a "Cantenelli" was helping them. Ashana knew the name, but not from where. She made through the crowds in the direction she had come earlier and probed her memory for the name. Then, in a brief moment of clarity it returned to her.<br/><br/><span style="color: Indigo">Cantenelli? You mean the Human that Makarot said owned the ship?</span>Ashana asked, puzzled by the information. She had to assume that Firas and the previous captain had struck some kind of deal, but how the hell they managed to do that on Illium was beyond Ashana.<span style="color: Indigo">Your going to have to explain that statement to me when I arrive.</span><br/><br/>Ashana felt uneasy as the thought continued to run through her mind. It certainly sounded advantageous, having a crew for the ship that had experience on it, but all that they knew about the man was a name. A name, as she recalled, that was given to them by a Batarian that turned around and tried to kill them for the ship. Once again Ashana was forced to question Firas' judgment. And Cantenelli was even supposed to be a Human, of all things! Firas, agreeing to work with a Human? Clearly something was very wrong here. As that thought continued on its course, Ashana began to wonder if the Eclipse had gotten to Firas. They were on Illium after all. It was possible, though unbelievably unlikely, that the Eclipse had captured Firas and were using him to lure them back for a quick kill.<br/><br/>Ashana ran her hand over the pistol on her hip to calm her nerves.<br/><br/>Either way, once she arrived at the Acheron, she would have her answers. Ashana hoped that those answers weren't at the end of a gun barrel.<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>