It’s what made the hierarchy of the Tsavitee horde so interesting. They weren't just one species but many.
There were several theories on how that occurred. Some thought they'd integrated conquered races into their horde, while others believed the Tsavitee high forms had engineered the lower forms to fit their specific purposes and roles.
The last argument was supported by the fact the DNA between all forms except the generals was strikingly similar. It pointed to a common origin.
Which theory was true didn't really matter. The end result was the same—a military force capable of breeding soldiers with enhanced combat skills faster than humans could keep up.
Kira knew some on the human side toyed with the notion of developing their own enhanced soldiers, bred specifically to fight the Tsavitee. There were rumors they'd started testing their theories.
All that stopped once the treaties with the Haldeel and the Tuann were signed. The treaties made it clear any further genetic modification for the purposes of war was forbidden and would result in full-on war with both.
"Cannon fodder," Kira said, taking in the array of Tsavitee as they moved closer.
Humans called them that because they were more numerous than the other species. They were usually sent directly at the enemy, overwhelming them with superior numbers and a single-minded intensity.
The lowest of the lower forms. Cannon fodder or puppets, as some called them, were little more than feral cannibals. They had no conscience and little intelligence from what Kira had seen. They'd crawl over the still-warm corpses of their brethren if it meant a chance at human flesh.
She also spotted a mantis, its long lean form towering over the puppets beside it, and a telepath. The telepath looked sickly and gray, its limbs spindly as it stared at the room with a blank gaze.
Kira stepped back, moving so she wasn't in the general's line of sight.
"Put them in with the rest," the general ordered.
The Tsavitee swarmed the two women, herding them toward the light cage the rest of them were trapped in.
The Tuann pressed close to the front, eager for a chance to act once the Tsavitee dropped the light field to force Liara and Alma in.
Kira knew better than to get her hopes up. This wasn’t her first time on the wrong side of one of these cages.
She let the others push their way forward, as she drifted to the rear of the cage. The cloaked strangers helped, stepping in front of her, their larger forms blocking her fully from sight.
She had a bit of a reputation among the Tsavitee. If they caught sight of her, things would probably not go well for her.
Roderick and another of his men dragged Liara to the cage, settling her on the ground not far from Kira. Liara's face was waxy, her eyes glazed with pain, her lips sealed tight against her whimpers, and blood coated her right shoulder.
"Your shoulder is severely damaged," one of the cloaked men said, kneeling by Liara’s side. He pressed a bandage against her shoulder, ignoring her flinch and low moan. "We need to stop the bleeding so your body can put itself into a restive state and start to heal."
"Get away from her," Roderick spat, reaching for the man to jerk him away.
Kira got there first, knocking his hand away. "Stop being an ass. Take a look around; your enemy isn't in here."
Roderick snarled at her, his face a mask of rage. "You're wrong. Maybe my enemy is standing right in front of me. This started when you released the humans."
Graydon's people voiced their anger as the cloaked men kept their silence. Kira noticed Silas as he shifted closer, a hand disappearing into his cloak.
Violence threatened. Again.
You'd think the great Tuann would be smarter than this.
Kira sighed and glanced down.
Roderick's lips twisted in a smug smile.
Kira punched him in the throat. She hooked one leg around his and shoved, dumping him to the ground as he choked.
Graydon and Silas surged forward, forcing the Luathans back. Kira kneeled at Roderick's side. She grabbed the collar of his armor, jerking him up to sitting.
She pinched the tip of his ear. A high pained sound escaped him as she gripped his chin and forcefully turned his head toward the Tsavitee moving around the Nexus.
Their enemy was busy barricading the door as they dug in for a protracted siege.
"Look out there. That's a Tsavitee general. They lead invasions and aren't known for being merciful. Right now, they have the codes to your defense net, which is a bad thing since a Tsavitee warship waits outside your territory," Kira snarled, articulating each word carefully and calmly.
Things were bad. She needed him to understand just how bad they were. Maybe then he would stop this pointless posturing so they could all work together. That was the only way any of them would survive.
"Not quite," Liara said in a strained voice. She tried to sit up but only made it a few inches before her face whitened and the stranger pushed her down.
Kira waited for awareness to return to Liara's eyes before asking, "What do you mean?"
"I didn't change both sets of codes. I only changed the outer net. They won't be able to access the one around the planet. The curtain remains intact," she said.
"If they approach the planet, the defenses will shoot them down," Kira said thoughtfully. She slid her cousin a sideways look. "Sneaky. I like it. Nicely done, cousin."
Liara's expression lightened with the barest trace of a smile before it turned regretful as she faced Graydon. "I set it to the highest level of alert. It'll destroy anything trying to approach."
"Leaving every ship outside the net on their own against the warship." Graydon's expression remained closed off, grief and resignation hidden there.
The same emotions were reflected in the faces of his soldiers.
"Our ship is out there as well," the cloaked stranger attending Liara said.
There was a long silence as they considered the gravity of that situation.
"Can you order them away?" Kira asked.
"The field blocks our communications," Silas said.
"My ship wouldn't leave anyway," Graydon said. "Not while we're here."
Kira frowned in thought.
"None of that matters while we're trapped in this cage," she said. "Liara's subterfuge works in our favor, but they'll figure it out eventually. Then they'll find a way to bring it down."
"The net can't be brought down," Roderick sneered.
"Only an Overlord's authorization will disarm the net," Liara said around a pained breath. "I'll never give it to them. Not even under threat of death."
Kira's smile was humorless, never touching her eyes. "What about the death of everyone else in the Citadel?"
The Luathan looked at her with horror. None had considered that possibility.
"They'll work their way through every single person they can get their hands on until they find your breaking point," Kira said. "Can you watch child after child be put to death? Your friends?"
Liara didn't speak, but Kira saw the answer in her face. No, she couldn't. Eventually the Tsavitee would find the one person Liara couldn't bear to see die, and they'd have her.
Everyone had a breaking point. It was just a matter of finding it.
"We have my men out there," Roderick said. "They'll stop the Tsavitee."