Rene gave Rosaria a level look. Violence had an appeal to those who did not themselves practice it. Rosaria's life had not been an easy one and she would have been exposed to the calculated brutality of Alayla Thorne's criminal empire, but she had never herself held a blade or a gun with the intent to kill, or watched helpless while bullets cut down friends and comrades. It must have seemed to her like all her problems might have been solved with a gun or a knife, but Rene knew better than most that a gun wasn't a magic wand that fixed a situation just because you waved it around.

"Duchess Falia," the Kalderi declared, his galactic broken but intelligible. The alien looked to be a young male, muscular and in good shape, though there was discoloration on his face that might have been a result of his clearly heightened emotional state. As Rosaria had noted he wore a sword at his side and his hand tightened and loosened on the hilt with what might have been nerves or anger. Rene's own hand drifted unobtrusively to his sword, not so much thinking of a challenge as of the alien making a sudden lunge for Solae. Kalderi were quick, but Rene was confident enough in his training and his own genetic enhancement to believe he could intercept such a strike.

"You claim to speak for the Humans, then you must answer for their crimes!" the male declared loud enough the the buzz of conversation died away as every Kalderi in the ballroom turned to look at him. Rene risked a quick glance around the room Lithyll looked discomforted and several other Kaleeri looked away and drooped their wings in what Rene took for embarrassment.

"You have no voice here Totlya," Lityll said sternly, stepping towards the younger male. Totlya thrust out a hand shoving Lithyll back and caused another murmur of disapproval from the other Kalderi. It seemed that the community focus of Kalderi society made any kind of police or security element unpalatable as it segregated one group from another. From what little Rene had been able to learn, even the ships above them were considered their own communities rather than an extension of this one and only incidentally fulfilled the role of protecting the planet.

"I have a voice as a challenger, and I declare a challenge for this female," Totlya snapped, wings beating in agitation as he gestured to Solae. 

"As my mate was taken from me without proper challenge by a human, so shall I do," he snapped barring his teeth. Lityll hesitated clearly on the brink of making a further objection but the other Kalderi, Andalyll , stepped forward. It was difficult to read his expression, but Rene thought that he too looked a little uncomfortable with the situation.

"Totlya, has a voice as a challenger," he agreed glancing between the agitated younger male and the pair of humans. Andalyll's wings seemed to shift rapidly in agitation though Rene couldn't see it in the Alien's face. Totlya smiled triumphantly before turning to the crowd.

"As many of you know, my mate was taken from me by one of the humans, a so called trader, carried off without proper challenge and smuggled aboard his starship to be taken who knows where! Are we to allow these human barbarians to steal us away in the night?! There must be justice for the sake of the community!"