His humor caught the man off guard. He relaxed a tiny degree. Hauk watched his eyes carefully. They were always the window to say when someone was about to attack and when they were scared.

This man showed neither tendency. Rather, his dark gaze was wary and thoughtful. After a moment, he lowered his blaster, but not so much that he couldn’t get a well-placed shot off if Hauk made a move he didn’t like.

“I’m just here to scavenge before the others arrive. You do your thing, I do mine, and we part ways.”

Hauk nodded. “You’re Kirovarian?”

The blaster came right back up. “How do you know that?”

Hauk holstered his weapon. “Your accent. So what was your rank, soldier?”

He hesitated before he finally put his weapon away. “What kind of Andarion knows humans so well?”

“I was schooled with humans.”

The man’s eyes flared before he brought the weapon up and Hauk caught his arm before he could pull the trigger. He disarmed him. The man attacked.

Hauk deflected the blow and returned it. He dodged, twirled, and delivered a staggering fist to the man’s jaw. Hauk head-butted him then flipped him to the ground. The fall raised his shirt to betray an emblem Hauk knew better than he wanted to.

Shit.

He was a Ravin. No wonder the man was so skittish and unkempt.

Hauk immediately held his hands up and backed off. “I’m not here to hunt or kill you, friend.”

The man glared at him. “You’re League, aren’t you? Isn’t that why you’re here?”

Hauk scratched his chin with the back of his hand. “Used to be, and was discharged years ago. If I wasn’t, I’d have killed you already. These days, I’m Sentella, only.” He gestured toward the weapons on the ground he couldn’t carry. Weapons this man would need if he was to live out the week. “Walk with peace, brother. Take your supplies and go. I won’t stop or track you.”

He wiped at the blood on his lips. Suspicion hung heavy in his eyes before he pushed himself to his feet. His gaze never wavered from Hauk as he began searching the bodies for things he could use.

Ignoring him, Hauk took a trophy of his own from one of the fallen that he bagged in the container they’d brought for his head, then he returned to studying the airbee.

“I was captain first rank. Gyron Force.”

That explained why he was still alive. Gyron Force was the elite of the elite for the Kirovarian armada and infantry. Less than one percent of one percent of their soldiers qualified to wear those uniforms.

“I’m Hauk.”

“Bastien Cabarro.” He licked at the blood on his lips as he narrowed his gaze on Hauk. “You really Sentella?”