by T. A. White
Nor was she surprised Odin had managed to circumvent the scanners. Like Finn, the hacker had probably been on board the entire time, only being discovered by Finn once the excitement faded.
Odin was always quite good at finding his way into places he didn't belong. Kira simply hadn’t expected for her ship to be one of them.
For the moment, Kira ignored Odin, focusing on Finn. "How much did you hear?”
"Enough."
Kira took that to mean he knew who Elena was—and probably everything else that had been discussed.
"Pretty smart to stay hidden."
"I thought so."
"Right about now, I bet you wish you hadn't agreed to Graydon's request to be my oshota," Kira ventured.
"It had occurred to me."
Kira supposed she deserved that. Sneaking out of the Fortress without notifying him, getting stuck on a ship heading off-planet, not to mention the major secrets she'd been keeping—yeah, he had a reason to be touchy.
Elena appeared at the end of the corridor, her hair slightly damp and she was wearing a fresh change of clothes. She stopped short, a towel hanging forgotten in her hand.
Her gaze flicked cautiously between Kira and the other two.
The lack of surprise in her expression told Kira her niece had known about Odin’s presence the entire time.
Her niece hadn’t been the one to launch Jin’s defense sequence. Odin had. Elena had just gone along for the ride.
A murderous aura seeped from Kira even as a gentle smile formed. "That reminds me—I have a score to settle with you, Odin."
Wariness registered in Odin’s eye.
Not enough. Not nearly enough to satisfy Kira.
That was okay. She could fix that.
Sensing the shift in Kira, Finn slowly set Odin down.
"Let's not be hasty." Odin backed away holding up his hands.
"Jin."
"My pleasure." A maniacal cackle came from Jin as he advanced.
Odin retreated. "Don't do it. You know what happened the last time you went against me."
"This time’s going to be different," Jin snarled.
Electricity crackled along his shell, striking the walls with arcs of lightning. Odin jumped as a bolt impacted the floor right in front of him.
Jin chuckled, the sound echoing in the ship’s speakers. "You've never fought me on my home ground before.”
Odin smirked. “We’ll see.”
Blue arcs shot from his fingertips to the closest set of wiring embedded behind the ship's walls.
Jin cursed and flew toward him. "It's not going to be that easy."
"Auntie, shouldn't you stop them?"
"Don't worry. Jin won't kill Odin. The Allfather is far too useful for that."
But if Jin wanted to extract a pound of flesh for the many grievances he had against Odin, who was Kira to stop him?
"Have you decided on a course?" Elena asked.
"We're taking you home. I'll decide what's next after that." Kira tilted her head at the bridge. "Why don't you input the coordinates?"
Pleasure flashed across Elena's face, and there was a bounce in her step as she did Kira's bidding.
Beside Kira, Finn didn’t bother concealing his disapproval.
Kira pinched the bridge of her nose. "I need a drink for this conversation."
Kira strode away, leaving Finn to follow—or not. His choice.
It took only seconds to reach the galley. The Wanderer wasn’t a large ship by any means. You could get anywhere on it within a matter of minutes.
The galley was small, really no more than a nook filled with only the barest of essentials—a food synthesizer, a cupboard of ready to eat blocks, and a table with two sad-looking chairs pulled up next to it.
It hadn’t always been this way.
The original galley was much bigger, located in a room twice the size of this one. Since Kira was the only person who required sustenance, she’d decided it was much better to repurpose the old galley as a weapons room. The new one was relocated to an old closet.
What could Kira say—she had a lot of weapons.
Finn eyed the small space with distrust as Kira fixed two cups of chai. With his much larger body, the galley seemed even more cramped than usual.
Kira set the two cups on the table and took a seat before nodding at the chair across from her. Kira took a sip of her chai, waiting as Finn eased into it. His uncomfortable expression made it clear he didn’t entirely trust it to hold his weight.
Finn picked up his mug and sniffed. "What is this?"
"Chai. I've had better, but it fills the craving."
Finn took a cautious sip, surprise flashing across his face.
"You disagree with my choice not to return to Ta Sa'Riel,” Kira said, getting down to business.
Sometimes it was best to rip the band-aid off. Beating around the bush would only delay the inevitable. She didn’t want that.
With a guarded expression, Finn set his chai on the table.
Kira stared into her mug as if it had all the answers. "Could I land safely on Ta Sa'Riel in the current circumstances?"
Finn was quiet.
Good. He was giving her question consideration.
He tapped the table with a finger. "Not unless we call and gain clearance first."
That fit with Kira’s reading of the situation as well.
"And is there a way to establish a direct link to Roake?"
Finn opened his mouth, then closed it again. "If you had one of their communication stones."
"I don't. Do you?"
All expression disappeared from Finn’s face as he realized where she was going with this.
Kira propped her chin on her hand. "If I wanted to contact Roake, I'd have to broadcast on wide band."
Which would alert any potential enemies to their position.
Since Kira didn't have the codes for the Tuann comms nor was her ship compatible with their method of communication, she was stuck screaming into the void in the most unsecure way possible.
If Elena wasn't on the ship, she could take the risk.
But Elena was on the ship, leaving only one path before Kira. Find Elena a safe port, then reassess.
"By now, I think you have a sense of what's at stake." Kira met Finn’s gaze. "Can you promise me beyond any shadow of a doubt Elena will be safe on Ta Sa'Riel with Roake?"
"There are none in your father's House who would hurt her."
Kira raised an eyebrow. "What about Loudon?"
The traitor was now dead, but the fact he'd existed at all proved Kira's case.
Loudon was a trusted member in the highest ranks of the House. His betrayal and involvement in the events that had led to the deaths of Kira’s parents and her subsequent capture by the Tuann’s enemies proved that. He was dead now, but that didn't change history.
Where there was one, there could be more.
"Can you swear that no others like him exist? If you can, I'll roll the dice and make contact with Roake."
Kira would far prefer her niece to be ensconced in a House with hundreds of oshota willing to give their lives to protect her.
Finn stared at his cup of chai and closed his eyes. "I can't."
That was her answer then.
"Then our course is set."
Kira was surprised at the level of disappointment that answer brought.
"It would be a mistake to cut ties with Roake," Finn warned.
"I happen to agree with you."
Even if she hadn't regretted the manner of her leaving, there was the little problem of her health.
While she'd made great strides in her treatment for ki poisoning, Quillon hadn't pronounced her healed.
If she was going to go against the Tsavitee and the masters controlling them from the shadows, it would be better to do so in peak form.
"I'll drop Elena off with her other aunt, and then rendezvous with Roake at the quorum."
It'd be the easiest place to reinsert her
self into their number. Not to mention, doing so would put her in the vicinity of where Elise had last been seen.
"That could be a problem," Odin said from the threshold.
A piece of metal glinted. Kira caught the object Odin tossed.
"What's this?" Kira lowered her hand, seeing Odin's scroll. The latest model from the looks of things.
Kira pressed the tip of a finger into one of the groves. A small light flashed. She tapped the end to the table. A small screen spread across the table's surface, its smart feature displaying the information Odin had pulled up for her.
The crease in Kira's forehead deepened the longer she read. "Why are the Haldeel having the quorum on Jettie?"
True, the planet was in Haldeel space, but just barely.
It had a large population of human refugees—those who'd been displaced by the war and chosen to shelter under the shade of the Haldeel empire rather than relocate to a human planet.
Also, coincidentally, it was where Jin had chosen to hide Elena.
"It’s an interesting choice on the Haldeel's part, but not out of character. The Haldeel move the site of the quorum every time so as not to put undue burden for hosting on any one planet," Finn said.
The answer didn’t make Kira any happier. She didn't like coincidences, even when they were in her favor.
"Read further." Odin crossed to the small kitchen counter and hopped up, sitting cross-legged on it.
Jin moved out of the corridor, scorch marks decorating his sphere. Every so often, he would shudder in place as if he were having issues with his antigravs.
Odin wasn't unscathed. There was a bruise on one cheekbone and his cloak had been shredded, revealing the bodysuit beneath
Kira ignored him, scrolling down the lines. She stopped as she reached a particular paragraph. "This could present a problem."
"What sort of problem?" Jin nearly clipped Kira in the head as he moved to get a glimpse of what she was reading. It only took him moments to spot the same thing Kira had. "Oh."
Yes. Oh.
"Jettie is only allowing those who are already registered citizens or participating in the quorum to the planet," Odin explained to Finn.
For Elena, it wouldn't be a problem. She'd had status as a citizen since her fifth birthday. The rest of them were a different story, however.
"Chances of sneaking down unnoticed?" Jin asked.
Odin fixed a look on Jin. "What do you think?"
Getting down to the planet was possible. Doing so without drawing attention to themselves—unlikely.
Even if they slipped through the Haldeel's net, it was bound to raise some red flags—exactly the kind of thing Tsavitee spies would be on the lookout for.
Finding himself the center of attention, Jin said defensively, "It was just a question."
"A stupid one," Odin retorted.
"Well, this stupid one fried all your nasty little friends, so who's really the idiot now?" Jin returned.
Odin regarded him with a flat stare. "Still you."
Jin sputtered.
A crafty look overtook Odin's face as he smiled suddenly. "How's it going finding the surprise I dropped into your positioning system?"
"Fine," Jin said stiffly.
Kira ignored them, still engrossed in the dossier that Odin had put together for her. He must have known the quorum was coming because he had gathered quite a lot of information. All of it useful.
"I think I know how we can get onto the planet," Kira said before the argument could escalate.
Jin and Odin fell quiet.
"I thought you'd be interested in that route,” Odin said.
Not one to let others know something he didn't, Jin scanned the document over Kira's shoulder.
"You're going to enter one of the hoverboard races," he guessed.
Kira ducked her chin in a nod.
Odin drummed his fingers against his knee. "It would take care of the most pressing of your problems."
"Not your; our." To Odin's argumentative expression, Kira added, "You're the reason we're in this mess."
Kira wasn't entirely sure he hadn't orchestrated this whole scenario. She wouldn't put it past the manipulative bastard. The question was how complicit was Elena in his schemes.
Knowing she wasn't likely to get an answer that would satisfy her, she left the matter alone.
"You're awful quiet." Kira glanced Finn's way. "Have anything to share? Of all of us, you're probably the most knowledgeable about the quorum."
The quorum was still a relatively new concept for humans. To them it would seem like a particularly extreme version of the Olympics—simply more deadly for contestants and with a lot more political moving and shaking.
The Tuann, on the other hand, had participated for centuries. Of them all, Finn would understand the undercurrents best.
Finn took a thoughtful sip of his chai. "There are no restrictions on who may participate. Whether you're sponsored by one of the three powers doesn't matter. Any may showcase their abilities and rise or fall under their own merit."
How egalitarian of them.
Of course, the truth of the matter was a little less transparent. Although any could compete, the odds were tilted very much in favor of those who had a powerful backer. Housing, food, equipment—even the credits needed for registration—all of those had to be taken into consideration.
For most, the price of competing would simply be out of the realm of possibility, no matter how talented.
That didn't even touch on the specialized training you'd need to be competitive in your chosen field.
From the dossier Odin had put together, the hoverboard races were relatively new as events went. It was why Kira had picked them as her point of entry. The field would be much more even with humans holding a slight advantage. The rest of the galaxy wouldn't be as familiar with the rules, whereas hoverboard racing was one of the most popular sports in human space.
Add in Kira's history with the sport and the fact she already held a waveboard license, and it was the easiest avenue to take to accomplish her goals.
"If you don't qualify, you'll be kicked off the planet," Finn warned. "Only the support staff of a contestant or those who have won an event in the past are exempted from the requirement."
Kira could see why the quorum was such a big deal. Its structure was flawless, feeding into the psychology of all three races.
They’d limited attendance to make those with a coveted slot perceive it as a rare honor. Throw in the chance to brush elbows with the most powerful individuals in the galaxy while fostering an environment where issues of state could be discussed unimpeded, and you had an irresistible recipe for success.
With one move the Haldeel earned their spot as one of the most influential and powerful in the galaxy—and they'd done it without having to fire a shot.
“It’s decided then. I'll resurrect my old alias so as not to draw attention,” Kira said.
It was her only choice.
Graydon and Roake were almost guaranteed to be there. While they wouldn’t necessarily assume she was also in attendance, it paid to be cautious.
She didn’t plan to evade them forever, just until she got Elena’s situation sorted.
Even Finn couldn’t argue with her logic.
"If that's settled, I'll be in my berth." Odin jumped off the counter, only pausing to send a sly look Jin's way. "You're always welcome to join me if you'd like. Maybe I can fix that little problem you're having."
"I can fix my own problems," Jin snarled.
"Have it your way."
Odin strolled out of the galley.
To Finn, Kira said, "It might be a bit cramped over the next month. I'm afraid all the berths are taken. Find a spot anywhere and it’s yours."
Finn nodded and stood, disappearing silently into the hall.
"Kira, you don't think—"
"It's not going to be a problem, Jin." Kira drained the rest of her chai. "We'll be fine. All that happened years ago. I bet
no one even remembers it anymore."
And even if they did, chances were they wouldn't recognize Kira and Jin.
Kira had been a lot different back then.
"If you say so," Jin said doubtfully.
FOUR
A DEEP SILENCE fell over the ship as one by one its occupants sought the release of dreamland, leaving only Kira awake.
Slouched in the pilot's seat, she held a cup of chai. It'd been a long time since she'd sat like this, watching the stars go by, the ship as silent as a tomb around her.
To think, she thought she'd missed this.
It was a long time later when Kira finally stirred, setting aside her mug and reaching over to press the record button.
"Raider, you're furious with me; I don't blame you."
A fleeting smile, lacking any semblance of warmth or happiness, chased across her face, there and gone as if it'd never been.
"To tell you the truth, I never really thought you were the mole. There are a lot of excuses I could give you for the decisions we made, but that's all they'd be—excuses. I won't insult you by listing them here. At the time they seemed relevant, but looking back, I have to wonder."
Kira's gaze turned distant. "I should have told you about Elena the moment I knew about her. I'm not even sure why I didn't."
Kira rubbed her forehead. "Honestly, I don't even know why I'm bothering to record this. You'll never see it. I’ve never sent any of the messages I’ve recorded to you."
Exhaustion pulled at Kira. The type that made her wonder if it was all worth it.
At this point, she didn't even know anymore.
In the moment, she could ignore the look of betrayal. Pretend not to feel the hot splash of pain that came with knowing she caused that grief.
Until Raider and the rest came back into her life, she’d never really questioned whether she was doing the right thing.
Now, she was left wondering if there had been a better way of doing things and she simply hadn't taken the time to find it.
"I'm tired, Raider. So bloody tired." Kira felt the truth of that statement all the way to her bones. "The worst part is I don't even know if I'd do it differently if given the chance. Elena is alive. Safe. A know-it-all pain in the ass in the way only someone that age can be, but she's happy.”
