I let out a sigh of relief, glad to see the tension fading, and scan the Gaian procession for any sign of my brother. But these are all higher-ups, no common folk among them, let alone a criminal off-worlder. He must still be on the ship. I press forward, past the officials exchanging pleasantries. Halfway to the ramp, the shifting crowd brings me face-to-face with President Leonis.

My feet go still and my mind blank as our eyes meet. I’ve never met Leonis in person—and never been close enough that I could kill her before anyone noticed what was happening. This is the woman who got my mother killed, and very nearly did the same to my brother; the woman who erased the people of my home-planet, wiped an entire civilization out from history. If she’s surprised to see me, or feels any shred of guilt about meeting one of the last surviving members of the people she destroyed, she doesn’t show it. Instead she smiles, an expression that manages to be outwardly pleasant but cruel at the same time.

“You must be…” She pauses, her eyes flickering to the brand on my wrist as if noticing it for the first time. Her nose wrinkles in distaste. “Sergeant Kaiser, is it?”

I fight back a tempting mental image of my hands around her neck.

“Not anymore.”

“Ah, yes. I suppose not. My apologies.” Now I know I’m not imagining the cold tinge to her smile; there’s not a hint of remorse in her expression, making her words mocking.

Another image surges in my mind, this time of her body sinking deep beneath the ocean’s waves. It would be so easy to throw her over… but no. I wrench my thoughts away. I can’t let revenge be more important than peace. And I can’t fuel her belief that Titans are the violent people she imagined us to be. I can’t let her think for one second that she was justified in what she did. So I suppress my rage, though I can’t bring myself to imitate her callous smile.

“It’s just Corvus now,” I say, and step closer. She stiffens up at the nearness, though she doesn’t step back, even when I bend low enough that my face is mere inches from her ear, my hands within grasping range of her neck. “Remember the name. I will remember yours.”

As I straighten, I turn and catch Councillor Oshiro’s eye. They step away from the crowd and stop beside me.

“President Leonis. I’m going to have to ask you to head for the end of the dock, if you will?”

Leonis draws herself up, indignant. I wait, eager for an excuse to force her to comply.