Inside his makeshift quarters, Talokta was toying with the remote device that would activate the acid poison in Manutaai’s bloodstream.
He went to scan for the frequency, but nothing registered. Even if the traitor was killed by Marone, it would still transmit, that is, if he had not already been blown to tiny pieces. No, he suspected, a very resourceful Manutaai had managed to elude Marone’s forces.
Kate told him that during her capture, Marone made a deal with Manutaai about getting a ride to Zhesta. That was no surprise. Manutaai would find a way. His kind always do. Well, he would be well out of the frequency range.
Talokta hated making any errors, especially his serious under estimation of Manutaai who was extremely well trained and a master of escape; three years in the rebel forces would hone his skills to perfection. He was one of the few, like Sataal, who knew how to hide from the Trimadians. After all, they were ex-Trimadians.
He wanted to get his hands on Manutaai badly. And explain just how the Lae Tu would die.
Talokta had changed his mind about blowing up Marone’s ship. That action may seem cruel and heavy handed in Kate’s eyes, as humans tended to show mercy, even to an enemy. Besides, he was behind schedule and did not want to do anything else out of the ordinary to prevent winning Kate’s trust.
Ideally, if Kate was to become a true Trimadian queen, she would be the one eager to press the button.