#Calculation of the best odds without thought for the collateral. They'll try to save who they can. That's their way.

[chronurgy]

Ohhhh yrliet girl you fucked up. You fucked up real bad.

Yrliet seemed to take Malakai's "I will take all the help I can get to escape" as forgiveness but I really, really don't think it was. Especially after being psychically tortured (and resisting through sheer willpower), Malakai has more or less shut down the part of their brain that feels. This is also partially a response to the torture worm that makes you see things. They beat all the checks by pointing out inconsistencies in the scene, so that's what they're devoting everything they have toward (and what they were taught to do to resist warp corruption) - know what is real and what is not. There isn't much room for other things right now. They need to get out and they will. They will do whatever they need to do to get out and consign any considerations of what happens after that to the future. Right now they are putting everything they have towards staying sane via clinging to a single, tiny shred of hope that might promise escape. The only question is if and how they'll process what happened during this time. Will it give them enough time for the fires of their anger to calm down and their usual nature to reassert itself, or will it push them further over the edge? And the thing is, Malakai is pretty forgiving. Malakai wants to see the best in people. But she just dropped them into their own personal ptsd nightmare and I don't know that there's any coming back from that under these circumstances. For a couple reasons.

First, she made a really stupid decision and then lied to their face, which they take as a challenge to their authority. Malakai is well aware that they're a psyker and only a distant relative of theodora, and therefore their authority and right to ascend as rogue trader is on.... Perhaps somewhat shakier ground than they would like. Especially after they were more or less threatened by the lord inquisitor (thanks for the heads up, heinrix. It probably did help). So they are very aware that they need to strengthen their authority as much as possible, and use it wisely. This actually caused a number of conflicts between them and Jae, who they saw as challenging them/overstepping, and lead to some cooling of that relationship. Heinrix has also been on the receiving end of that type of displeasure in some cases, though his authority via the inquisition does allow him some level of..... Imposition. Heinrix warning Malakai that the lord inquisitor was coming and that there was no real threat almost certainly saved that relationship from a similar cooling. But anyway, yrliet made a bad decision (trusting the drukhari?? Girl) which is somewhat forgivable, and then lied about how she knew (challenging them, using them, not forgivable). That means that their relationship is at an end, the only question is what kind of end. Because Malakai absolutely cannot trust yrliet now, because they see her as a poor decision-maker who can't even acknowledge that flaw (or so desperate that she will risk anyone and anything to get what she wants, which amounts to the same thing). Malakai cannot give her any other assistance because of this, so it's time for them to part ways.

It's how things actually played out that makes me wonder exactly what that parting of ways will look like. In most circumstances, I think Malakai would be willing to provide her with any resources she required, then drop her off at a location of her choosing. A polite but firm goodbye. But Malakai has already been under a lot of stress as they try to manage their new protectorate and try to decide between doing what they feel is right and what they were taught is right and then watching both of those options blow up in their face. Being threatened by the lord inquisitor didn't help matters either. And they had sort of started to make their peace with their choices, to regain some faith in their ability to choose what they believe is right, and then yrliet came in and, in some sense, proved all those people who said they were a fool to trust a xenos right. She sold them out. And maybe that isn't a super fair assessment of the situation, but Malakai has been dropped into their own personal ptsd hell and they're struggling to cope. They're backed into a corner and they're about to start swinging. They're not particularly angry or vengeful, but everyone has their limits and this just might be theirs. It really depends on how the rest of the act goes, but I think there's a real chance they'll execute her, especially if things get worse.

Apparently if you don't take yrliet into your retinue, Achilleas Scalander is the one who betrays you (I looked it up). He explains that he broke during torture. I've seen people call this motivation far more compelling, and I agree! That is absolutely something Malakai could forgive, interestingly enough.