Rene mostly followed the High Imperial. Trust a linquist to keep fluent in a dead language. As a child he had learned the language from his tutor but mostly for the purposes of reading the various historical and philosophical tracts which formed the core of an aristocratic education. Classics were usually taught immediately after children mastered the basics of grammar and arithmetic with specialty education in the science occuring later. Young Rene had been a keen reader of history, his family had been proud of a number of pre-collapse manuscripts that it owned in true to the stars physical print. They had always seemed like wonderful things to him, conjuring up an archaic past where Earth had ruled the galaxy with vast fleets and armies unknown in the current age.

“Let us give him his freedom, better not to promise clemency we have no intention of honoring,” Rene replied. The formal structure of the grammar made his words sound more pompous than he would have liked but his command of the language wasn’t such that he was an easy conversationalist. Solae nodded her head clearly taking his drift even if his words were imprecise.

“We will make a gentleman out of you yet,” she said, smiling slightly. Rene unsuccessfully tried to fight off a smile and was immediately glad the prisoner was in no state to register the crack in his carefully stern impression. The stepped back out into the hallway where Enro waited. Solae briefly explained the plan to him in a liquid stream of Syshi. Enro’s body language betrayed, even to Rene’s untrained eye, that he was uncomfortable with the plan. It was a reasonable concern, if the prisoner somehow evaded his pursuers Amber Horizon’s might well face an attack which they couldn’t possibly repel, but Solae and her bonded had proved themselves friends, heros even, and he couldn’t deny them the right to try it.

“What do you need from us, Solae of the Empire,” he asked at last, speaking common for Rene’s benefit. 

“Can you send someone for my backpack, I need the medical kit,” Rene explained.

The prisoner bucked as the the injector hissed against his neck, delivering the carefully mixed cocktail of drugs into his carotid artery. Rene wasn’t a medic, but he had taken the corps extensive field first aid course and was familiar enough with the application of stimulants. The mix contained an anti-pyrogenic, to break the fever, as well as a dose of adrenaline and preepinephrine. It would suppress the effects of the infection as well as give the man the energy to move. Rene had decided against analgesic, he didn’t want the man to be able to move too fast and besides, they might need it themselves.

The slavers eyes cleared almost immediately though sweat still beaded on his face. Rene stepped back and drew himself up to his full height. He was wearing his side arm and dressed in the most formal of the clothing Min Ho had given him. The dark grey tunic, sealed on the left side and the black pants gave him a semi official appearance without being anything like a uniform.

“What is your name,” he demanded. The prisoner squirmed, hate filling his eyes. He glanced back and forth, perhaps looking for Solae. They had decided that it would be better if she were not visible for this part of the plan and so she had waited out side, though the door was open and she could hear everything that transpired. Enro and one of his companions waited there as well, crude spears clutched in their hands in case something went badly wrong. Rene had made certain his pistol was unloaded, just in case the fellow managed to jump him.

“Fuck you..” the slavers jaw snapped back as Rene delivered a full armed slap to the mans face, the contact echoing in the improvised prison cell like a gun shot.

“What is your name,” Rene repeated in an identical tone. The prisoner did not answer. Rene drew his hand back for another blow.

“Krol Tamworth,” the man grunted, glaring hatefully at the marine. Rene nodded and was silent for a moment.

“Krol Tamworth,” Rene began formally, his posture stiffening into something like a formal parade rest, eyes gray an pitiless as he watched the shivering form before him.

“For the crimes of sentient trafficking, attempted murder, kidnapping and assault upon the person of an Imperial official..”

“Wait a minute,” Krol interjectected, eyes wide, but Rene didn’t pause in his recitation.

“I Renard Lucius Du Quentain, Commander of Her Imperial Highnesses’ Forces on New Concordia, That Territory being in a state of Martial Law and in accordance with the emergency powers so granted me , do sentence you to death.” Rene repressed a shiver at the use of his full formal name, something he hadn’t uttered since he took his oath to join the Marines. It felt like peeling back the protective layer on a block of sodium, a soft sizzle that started the chain reaction to an eventual and inevitable detonation. Solae had pointed out that as the only surviving member of the the Imperial Military command technically fell to him, even if that was command of exactly one soldier. He supposed that the Marines would have approved of the chain of command surviving.

“What you can’t!” Krol began struggling to get to his feet. Rene slapped him hard again sending hm sprawling to the floor in a heap.

“You will be executed at local nightfall, 19:30 hours, I suggest you use that time to make whatever peace you can,” the words were filled with icy contempt that he didn’t have to dredge very deep to find. Turning on his heel, he strode from cell. One of the Syshin guards closing the bamboo door behind him.

In the hallway Solae and Lasha waited. Solae had a strange look on her face. Stars what did he look like, he tried to force his face out of the bleak expression he had been wearing for the interview.

“How long?” Lasha asked eagerly.

“Two hours,” Rene said as they moved down the corridor.

“Let him get good and scared so he doesn't try anything.” The plan was for Lasha to turn Krol loose, explaining that her people couldn’t be party to an execution regardless of what the Empire said. She could lead the slaver to the exit hatch where Rene and Solae would be concealed, waiting and ready to follow. Enro hadn’t approved of that part of the plan either, but Lasha herself had been compelling in explaining why it should be her. The Syshin nodded and headed off to make her own preparations, leaving Rene and Solae alone.

“Are you ok?” he asked her quietly.