It was Gene's voice more than Valdis's that made Zanru turned and fold her arms, her expression flat. "I don't care about your feelings," she said equally flatly, "because none of you have ever shown you give a shit about ours, even when claiming you do. At least you're finally admitting you're only out to protect your own, instead of making a big deal about the things you've supposedly done for mine."

She'd told someone once that that was how it should be: like taking care of like. Stark, maybe. The Foreigners didn't seem to care about each other any more than they cared about the kedan--they only stuck together because they had to. It was refreshing to have one of them actually confess to caring more about their own group than the kedan. At least there was care there. Maybe now they'd be able to think of themselves as a unified group with things to offer instead of individuals getting in everyone's way because they didn't have everything they wanted.

Zanru pointed at Gene. "But you, I like. You get to the fucking point and you aren't all dramatic about why it's owed to you. Celaunn isn't here. But I'll take your message to her, and if she wants to meet you I'll send you a call on your radio. They're more secure than the consoles these days, I hear."