It was Alia's casual disregard that galled Kennoch the most. He suspected that it was at least partially tactical, but nonetheless, he simmered as he listened to her dismiss their accusation. Not the claim itself, but the idea that revealing the truth might be more than an inconvenience. This assassin and her house had murdered her way through the upper crust of a sector capital, harbored a xeno and enlisted hereteks to manage her grim work, came here to speak with the crew that successfully investigated her crimes on their own ship, and now she practically scoffed at them. Such arrogance nearly made the Navigator forget that she was deadly enough to afford the confidence. Echo put his gloves on the balcony railing, platinum plates clinking softly, and glared down at her.

"Circumstantial circumstantial. Plausible deniability plausible. Scandal sandal scandal. Just just...business business just business." He growled her words back to her, his youthful voice crackling with the older and more intense tones. "Your bloody game bloody for power power brought terror terror to your fellow nobles your fellow. Suspicion to Etula Hax suspicion Hax and inconvenience to to the Lord Sector himself Lord Lord Sector. Shame to the authorities shame who pursued you pursued. Ruin to the Houses ruin of your victims victims. Do you think do you they will be they will so concerned with concerned the rule of law law rule of law as to insist upon insist ironclad proof proof? You have demonstrated you have what one can accomplish one can with a sharp edge sharp and a strong arm strong in the dark dark dark dark. You have humiliated you have powerful people powerful. Are you so certain are you they will accept accept your clever words clever and be content be to murmur rumors rumors at your parties your parties? Are you so certain certain so certain the line of Hax Hax Hax Hax will forgive forgive and forget forget?"

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Kennoch's getting a little better at not going full fire and brimstone. Hopefully this is a subtle threat, by his standards. My goal is to shake Alia's confidence a bit and make her more open to giving the rest of you the full truth (assuming her motives really aren't just so straightforward as she claims).

Wasn't there something unusual about how the victims were killed? I think Ravia determined it was with a farming implement, unless I'm mistaken.

Intimidate (57--unless you're kind enough to agree that this is Int-based, in which case, it's 71): (1d100)[37]