by T. A. White
She took another look at the cutter, picking up on the details she had missed earlier. The sails were a pink so deep and vibrant it verged on crimson. Violet tinged its edges as black lines wound throughout.
Not just that. Though the material of the hull mimicked the look of wood, she caught a shimmer that suggested it was coated in a substance that would make it extremely resistant to long-distance projectile and energy weapons.
With a glance she noted areas on the hull which housed several weapons, including energy cannons of force distributers.
She gave Jin a sidelong look.
As always, he read her mind. "They’re armed to the teeth."
To say nothing of the way the other two were currently circling the area. Kira recognized the pattern. Those two ships had set up an overwatch.
Any enemy stupid enough to attack would easily be taken care of from there, leaving the grounded ship plenty of time to recover their people and get airborne.
Those weren't the actions of somebody sent to retrieve a pair of unlucky racers.
"Did something else happen? Are they expecting another attack?" Kira asked.
The attention of the oshota next to Devon moved to Kira. A thoughtful look settled on his face, even as he remained silent.
"The perpetrator was caught," Graydon said, distracting Kira.
She looked at him in surprise. The Tsavitee weren't normally so inept.
Kira didn't have time to ask any more questions as the Haldeel official who'd overseen the start of the race disembarked from the cutter.
He glided toward them, sinking into a deep curtsy by flattening his lower appendages against the ground. For a Haldeel, the act of ensuring one's head was below another's was considered one of the highest forms of respect.
Kira had only seen it once when a Haldeel was seeking an audience with a puzzle master.
It wasn't the type of action offered to someone outside their race who also had little to do with their empire.
By doing this, the Haldeel was making it clear they were in the wrong. It was a strong stance to take in a forum such as this. If she were an unscrupulous individual, she could use his action to extort a lot of benefits from the Haldeel.
There was surprise on the faces of the oshota around her.
"This humble one apologizes for his tardiness and begs for your forgiveness," the Haldeel said, not rising.
Kira wavered, unsure what to do.
Diplomacy wasn't one of her strengths. She much preferred the straight and easy solution. If it involved the extreme application of force, even better.
Still, it was clear the Haldeel wasn't going to move until Kira made some sort of statement.
"Name?" she asked, buying time.
"Khartor."
Kira nodded as her gaze strayed in Graydon's direction. He looked passively at her as if telling her what she did next was entirely her choice.
Kira was afraid he'd say that. There was nothing like having all of the pressure on your shoulders.
It was times like these that she missed her peaceful life as a salvager. It was lonely, but at least then if she made the wrong decision, the only one to pay the price would be her.
"There's no need for all this fuss," Kira finally settled on saying. "No lives were lost, and the damage from this matter is minor."
Though if Devon had died, that wouldn't have been the case.
Given how protective the Tuann were of their young under normal circumstances, it would have been a disaster if he was injured or killed. Throw in his relation to the man next to him, who she suspected was the Tuann’s emperor, and you could magnify that by several factors.
If she wanted to make a big deal of this, she could, but Kira judged it would be more beneficial to downplay her role.
The Haldeel weren't blind and they weren't stupid. Her actions would endear her to them more than if she had blown this matter up.
They'd owe her a favor for this. The Haldeel had a reputation for paying their debts.
Kira was also aware the matter needed to be settled here and now. As soon as the other Houses became involved it would no longer be so simple. Even with the risks she'd taken to save Devon, the incident could be magnified to significant proportions in the right hands.
Kira didn't want that. The Tuann and Haldeel needed to stay allies.
A wedge between them would only benefit the Tsavitee.
The Haldeel rose. "The Haldeel owe you a great debt and the Tuann an apology for our oversight."
Kira waved her hand, not interested in either. "It's impossible to protect against every eventuality. Where there is a wall, people will constantly seek to scale it."
It was the nature of the beast.
Khartor bowed at the waist. "Za na ri, you are ever kind and wise."
Kira didn't think either attribute had ever been attached to her name before.
Khartor stepped to the side and gestured at the cutter. "If you'll allow me, I've been instructed to escort you back."
"Your kindness is appreciated," Kira said.
They’d flown quite far off course. With Kira's board trashed, it would be a long walk back.
Speaking of her board.
Kira sent Jin a pointed look. She didn't care about the board itself, but the drive chain was extremely important to her. Falling into the wrong hands wasn't so much of a problem unless the other party was a hacker as good as Odin, but that didn't mean she wanted it getting lost either.
Jin ignored her pointed stare, drifting closer to Devon and the man beside him.
“Jin,” Kira warned as the two watched him.
Devon’s gaze was open, more curious than anything. Kira didn’t know if he had been told about Jin’s contributions to breaking them out of the memory loop they’d landed in during the uhva na.
She and Jin had left immediately afterward, making any interaction between the two brief.
Despite that, Devon didn’t hold any of the unfriendliness many Tuann had upon meeting Jin.
The man Kira suspected as his father—and the emperor of the Tuann—was a little more guarded. Not hostile, exactly, but not welcoming either.
Understandable considering all that had happened.
Khartor inclined his chin, drawing her attention. "We've dispatched people to recover your belongings."
Convenient—especially since a certain drone was ignoring her orders.
Left with no reason to delay, Kira headed for the cutter.
She boarded with the rest of the Tuann following. Jin stuck close to Devon and the oshota, his “eye” focused on them as he kept the barest of acceptable distances.
Perhaps Kira had been hasty in assuming he was handling the possibility of his relation to them well. The last thing she needed was for her friend to be accused of being a stalker.
That would be the cherry on top of this shit show.
As they flew closer to the stands, Kira expanded the view of the leader board in her optics.
It wasn’t surprising that the race had continued despite Devon and Skye’s mishap. Crashes, while tragic, were an inevitable part of the sport.
The racers who’d finished in the top three would continue onto the finals in two days when the rest of the semifinals finished.
Raider and Kira were the only two racers who’d lifted a hand to help. While their actions had disqualified them from the race itself, Kira couldn’t bring herself to care too much.
Winning had never been her goal. She'd only entered to have a reason to stay on the planet. Since Elena had already been discovered, there was little reason to continue.
There was also the fact that reuniting with House Roake and Wren now meant she had a sponsor whose backing could allow her to remain even after the loss.
"Looks like that racer with the ridiculous name of Moonbeam, the one who came close to dethroning you, came in first," Jin observed.
Moonbeam’s name was the only one she recognized on the leaderboard. The other two were unknown to
her.
Kira’s eyes narrowed as she considered Moonbeam’s ranking.
There was something familiar about the person and the way they rode, as if they were trying to get Kira’s attention. From the dead man’s plunge on the qualifying race to the jockeying at the start of today’s race.
One incident Kira could discount. Racers were an arrogant and cocky lot. Two? That was pushing it.
"Find out what you can about this Moonbeam,” Kira ordered.
"I'll get Odin on it."
"No. You do it."
Jin paused and turned his "eye" on Kira.
"Understood," Jin acknowledged.
Kira's clenched fists loosened.
She'd thought he'd argue—or at least ask questions. It was a relief when he didn't pry further.
Kira couldn't explain why she'd made that order.
Kira trusted Odin, but only up to a point. Odin had her own goals for their partnership.
For Kira, locating the Tsavitee home worlds was only important if Elise was on one of them. That was where Odin’s goals diverged from hers. Without the star maps Kira had secretly downloaded from Luatha’s nexus on Ta Da’an, Odin had no hope of liberating what remained of her people.
While Kira still planned to help Odin even if she found Elise on Jettie, there was no certainty Odin would believe in her promises.
Odin’s issues with trust were multifaceted and made Kira look well adjusted.
The cutter began its descent as it prepared to land on the strip of flat ground in front of the stands.
The race had long since ended, and the participants cleared from the finish line.
In their place, a phalanx of guards in Haldeel armor stood in formation, Raider and Skye next to them.
Kira noted all this at a glance before her attention locked on the figure standing resolutely in front of the rest.
She had the poise of a ruler—elegant and regal even under so many watchful eyes.
Her gown was the color of amethyst with silver embroidery woven throughout. Its neckline would be considered a halter in human fashion, exposing her slim shoulders. From behind her extended a long train in the same design that attached to the silver collar of the dress.
Her face was concealed by a veil that stopped at her chin.
"A royal greeting you personally," Graydon said. "You seem to have made quite the impact."
Kira flicked him a look. Why did she have a feeling he found that prospect highly entertaining?
"As the highest-ranked here, you should handle this," she suggested.
Graydon's lips curled. "Oh no, I wouldn't dream of taking this honor from you."
Some honor. All this would bring her was unnecessary attention.
From the sympathy in Devon's expression and the way he made no moves to intervene, Kira could already tell there was no way out of this. You'd think after saving his life on two separate occasions he'd be a little loyal.
But no. He was as willing to cast her to the wolves as Graydon and the rest of his oshota.
Traitors. All of them.
Graydon leaned closer. "Besides, we're not the one she wants to speak to."
There was a tension in the air and a hushed atmosphere as Kira disembarked, followed by Devon, Graydon, and the rest.
Kira may not have won the race, but her dramatic actions during the rescue had overshadowed the rest.
A loud cheer from those still waiting in the stands marked their triumphant return.
Wren and Maksym flanked Kira, in an unmistakable gesture of protection. If anybody tried to snipe her from a distance, one of them would intervene first.
It was only when she neared the royal that they fell back a step, allowing Kira to close the remaining distance with only Graydon at her side.
"I see you haven't fixed your habit of rescuing lost souls," the woman said in a warm tone that carried over the sounds of celebration.
Kira paused in mid-step.
"Kira Forrest, Scourge of the Tsavitee, the protective Phoenix of the Consortium, and now prodigal daughter of the Tuann. Don't tell me you don't remember me."
Kira sucked in a harsh breath, finally able to place where she'd heard this voice before.
Eight years ago. The edge of Haldeel space at an often-overlooked outpost.
She'd hoped her actions there had been forgotten. To be truthful she was kind of counting on it.
What she did on that outpost should have seen her arrested and dumped in a deep dark hole as soon as the Haldeel realized she was the same person who’d orchestrated the destruction of several of their most elite ships.
Of course, if they did that, they’d also have to arrest the person standing before her. The real reason Kira had gone to the lengths she had.
"Ah, you do remember. I was worried."
Kira felt the side of her face burning from the heat of multiple stares. Graydon, Raider, Wren. The oshota standing next to Devon whose face was once again hidden behind a disrupter field.
Pretty much anyone who had just overheard the royal's statement.
"My cherished za na ri, there is no cause for such concern. I simply wished to greet my friend again."
Kira didn't respond, struggling to reconcile the individual in front of her with the one she'd once known.
Back then, Tierni had been about Elena’s current age and height. She’d worn her fear and poor self-esteem in the same way she’d worn the ratty clothes she’d used to cover her body.
At the time, she’d been malnourished and barely surviving. The rare genetic disorder that caused her blindness in a society whose technological advances could cure damn near anything, isolating her far better than any cell ever could.
"Come now, will you not greet an old friend?" the royal said, startling Kira out of her thoughts.
Kira knew behind her veil, Tierni’s eyes would be a milky white, the nerve fibers that would have routed behind the retina in another Haldeel missing.
What should have been a handicap had turned into a strength for the other woman, allowing her empathic senses to compensate. Tierni didn’t perceive the world in the same way other Haldeel did.
In the short time Kira had known Tierni, the other woman had discovered how to use those senses in a way that gave her the advantage.
Deceiving her was impossible. She could read feelings like they were an open book.
Not only that, but as long as someone was around her, she could use their perception of the world to navigate, “seeing” it through their eyes.
In the time since their last encounter, it seemed Tierni had managed to rise to one of the Haldeel’s highest positions.
Tierni’s veil fluttered as her head tilted, recalling Kira to the present.
She’d been rude.
As surprising as Tierni’s new status was, Kira was happy to see the scared little girl she’d once known succeed in a way Tierni hadn’t been able to conceive of when Kira first met her.
Kira let that feeling flush through her, the pleasure and warmth. The joy and pride. The happiness at seeing her friend again.
"Tierni," Kira said softly, holding those feelings close.
"You do remember."
"Yes."
Tierni's gaze swept up to where Jin hovered above Kira's head.
"Little Jin, I see you're as dapper as always," Tierni said.
"And you are wearing much nicer clothes than the last time I saw you," he responded.
Tierni inclined her head. "This is true."
With a deliberate movement, the royal turned, sweeping her train out of her way in a practiced gesture.
"I'm glad we got to meet again," Tierni said before she disappeared into her crowd of guards.
The leader of those guards remained behind as the rest marched away, giving Kira her second shock of the afternoon.
She blinked at the Haldeel, noting the familiar markings on his arms and face.
His lips lifted in a smirk as he made a gesture that when translated would mean her
legs were showing. To a Haldeel, the saying was the equivalent of the human saying that she was wearing her emotions on her sleeve.
"When it rains, it pours," Jin said, almost more shocked than Kira.
Neither expected to see Lieven here. Though they should have.
Lieven had been Tierni's companion all those years ago, protecting her in the darkest circumstances. He was the reason Kira understood the nuances of the Haldeel language, both verbal and nonverbal, as well as she did. He'd been the one to undertake the painstaking process of educating her.
"Lady. Lord." Lieven greeted both of them. "You look well."
Considering their last encounter had ended with Kira half dead, that wasn't saying much.
"You seem calmer. Steadier. This pleases me greatly," Lieven continued, making the gesture for relief and happiness.
Lieven sobered as he left behind the past in favor of that of the present, adjusting his position so he was partially facing both Raider and Kira.
"The Haldeel wish to extend their sincerest gratitude," Lieven started.
At the same time, Odin's voice came over the coms. "Kira, you're never going to believe this."
Kira tried to split her attention between the two.
"Although the quorum’s official celebration won’t be held for several days when it has reached its conclusion, we’d like to invite you to a small banquet tomorrow on Almaluk as a token of our esteem.”
"It's Elise. They caught Elise."
Kira went still, feeling like she couldn’t draw breath as the rest of Lieven's words descended into a mass of sound as the world froze around her.
Sensing her disquiet, Odin rushed to assure her. "I've examined all the feeds. It's her. I'm sure of it."
Kira ducked her head to hide the movement of her lips as she spoke in as silent a voice as possible. "Where?"
"I'm tracking them now. From what I can tell, they're heading to Almaluk."
The same place this banquet was going to be held.
Seeing a watchful look descend on Lieven's face because she hadn't spoken in so long, Kira smiled, her lips feeling stiff. "We'd be honored to attend."
At that, Raider frowned at her in surprise.
He knew how much Kira detested such things. Normally she would refuse unless forced.
