Marlo was an important fish, he was a shark! Well, his species did not matter much, however, the position he bore here across the reef, did matter. He could get things done, and in this case, Tim had to talk to Marlo first, if he wanted to get back into the sect without being labeled a murderer, and or traitor!
A few days ago, he had a bad experience with several stingrays from within the sect. He experienced a deadly brawl which only allowed him, and Ortana (another stingray), to escape! Now Tim didn’t know if Ortana was still alive, he didn’t know if she made it home, but if she did, then he had to know how she had portrayed him within the sect!