Kathryn twisted her mind, fighting for self, as the S’sinn’s deep-seated trauma threatened to overpower her. She could smell burning flesh and feel pain in body parts she didn’t even have.
Her control firmed at last, and so did Jarrikk’s. He had absorbed her nightmare, as she had absorbed his—and the Link had held. They opened their eyes, and after one look at each other, turned to their respective delegates.
“Begin,” they said in unison.
The S’sinn reeled off a long list of grievances dating back to the War. Their words, inflections and body language Kathryn heard, saw and understood through Jarrikk’s eyes, and Translated through her human flesh. She faced the humans with a sneer in her voice and a challenge in her stance, the closest human equivalents to the S’sinn’s haughty contempt.
