by T. A. White
It was like trying to stare down a tiger, knowing he was considering how much of a struggle she'd make if he decided to eat her.
Only the slight clink of her drink being set next to her and her waiter's murmured, "Enjoy," forced her to break the wizard's gaze.
She didn't look up, instead choosing to focus on her task, her fingers flying across the holographic keyboard. She sat back. That ought to do it. One job posting on the station's forums and some of her problems would be solved.
Task done, she reached for her drink, lifting it and taking a small sip, holding the liquid in her mouth as the flavors burst on her tongue. Something about the combination reminded her of warmth and safety, a comfort she could count on in even the most trying of times.
It was a luxury she didn't often afford herself. One, because the food synthesizer in her ship put out a very poor imitation and she preferred the real thing over a faded impostor. And two, because for her, chai was as decadent as chocolate was for others, something she couldn't even touch because of its bitterness. Same for coffee.
Only after she'd enjoyed several sips did Kira let herself look up again, watching the two wizards where they lurked, careful this time not to challenge either one to a staring contest.
Then she waited.
It wouldn't be long now. Forty minutes had passed since Jin left to secure the part. She figured another five and then she could head to her ship.
The woman gave a sharp nod and nudged her companion. Victory and the joy of the hunt reflected on both faces before their expressions blanked.
Kira stiffened, alert now.
Whatever reason they had for tailing her had come to a head. They'd either leave her in peace or try something.
The man stepped forward, the woman a cool blade at his back.
On her console, the words flashed—job accepted.
She took one final sip of her tea, before setting it down with regret. She didn't like leaving it half finished, but her time was up. She'd have to move or risk a showdown in the cafe with noncombatants all around and limited avenues of retreat.
The wizards started toward her and pulled up short, a group of teens blocking their way as the humans gestured and pointed, excitement on their faces.
A three-tone bell chimed that the station's night had begun. Above, the lights dimmed as the station's dome began to fold back to reveal the deep black of space. A thin, transparent membrane kept the atmosphere inside, allowing those below a glimpse of a star-speckled sky.
Those inside the shops ventured outside as the dome receded, pointing up and gasping in wonder as the lights in the honeycomb winked out one by one.
Even Kira in her urgency stole a second to look up, the sight of the cosmos stealing her breath. Purple and blue dust filled one corner of space, the rest dotted with millions of stars.
It was beautiful and one of many reasons people took pilgrimages to this place, the view unspoiled by a planet’s atmosphere or ambient light.
It also served as a perfect secondary distraction.
Kira swiped her arm across the scanner, tipped the waiter and was walking away from her table seconds later.
She didn't look behind her, making her way, quickly but not frantically, along the terrace. She needed to get off this level. The lifts were an obvious choke point and could be used to trap her. She saw a small opening and took it, dropping onto the terrace below. She landed with her knees bent and legs together, then she was up again and moving quickly along the path.
Seconds later a loud thump sounded behind her, accompanied by shouted exclamations from above. She took a chance and glanced over her shoulder. The man straightened from where he landed, cold determination on his face.
A quick look above told her the woman was following from the upper level, moving parallel to Kira's path.
Damn. She'd hoped for more of a head start.
She turned and took off running, sprinting now, no longer caring who saw. People were slow to get out of the way, forcing her to dodge around or over their carts to heated shouts.
A quick glance behind told her the wizard was having no such trouble, people diving out of his way, his bigger form more intimidating than Kira's smaller one.
She turned and picked up a little more speed, reaching deep for reserves she hadn't had to tap in a while. She tried to keep in shape on the ship, but there was only so much you could do on something that was little more than two thousand square feet.
Her endurance wasn't what it had once been, but she'd wager it was better than most peoples’.
Shouts from in front caused her to slide to a stop. Station security poured toward her.
She was trapped. The station's security in front, a wizard in back and a wizard above.
Kira stilled as she examined her options.
The man slowed to a walk when he saw she was cornered. He wasn't even breathing hard.
Satisfaction appeared on his face. He thought he'd won.
Well, when you were trapped on three sides, there was only one choice. Kira walked toward the terrace, hopping up to stand on the railing, her balance precarious. It was sturdier than its thin frame suggested, barely wobbling under her weight.
Alarm appeared on the wizard's face. "Stop. We won't hurt you."
Security approached at a dead run.
The wizard held out his hand, a demand in his expression. "Come," he ordered in accented standard.
Kira gave him a slight smile. She'd never really been one for orders. Probably why she was no longer in the space force.
She leaned back, spreading her arms and letting gravity take her. Her balance passed the point of no return.
The wizard lunged for her, making a desperate grab, his expression incredulous. Kira couldn't help her small chuckle at the sight, before she turned her attention to surviving the fall.
The three linked supply hovercars she'd spotted earlier rushed by under her along their invisible track. She tucked her knees to her chest and flipped, her landing precise.
She stood and grinned.
There was a thud several cars behind her. She turned, the sight wiping the smile off her face. The man straightened, a glare aimed her way.
Kira gritted her teeth. It seemed he didn't plan on being so easily shaken. That was okay. They'd see how long he could keep up out here where the footing was unstable and a single mistake would mean your death.
Kira turned and leaped sideways, grabbing hold of a fast-moving hovercraft as it arrowed in the opposite direction. She pulled herself onto its top and stood, her attention focused behind her as the wizard found his own hovercraft.
"Jin is never going to believe this," she muttered to herself.
Two people crazy enough to play leapfrog with moving pieces. He was going to lose his shit when he found out.
She leaped off her car, letting gravity pull her down as she turned to fall head first in a smooth dive. She flipped, landing on one car to run two steps to the side and leap straight into the air again, vaulting from craft to craft, the wizard in relentless pursuit.
Kira remained focused, knowing he wasn't the only one courting death in this crazy hopscotch involving hovercraft, sailboats and air gondolas. Soon she lost herself in the sheer joy of the challenge, cutting through the air with a dancer's grace. It felt like flying, the gravity of the station less than a normal planet's but more than being out in the great expanse.
The adrenaline and fear of capture, coupled with the feeling of pushing her body as far as it would go, glorying when it rose to the challenge, all combined to make her feel powerful and alive.
She slid to a stop on top of one of the long trams as it glided toward the other side of the station, cutting through the honeycomb halfway through its journey.
She looked up, expecting the Tuann to be far behind her with no hope of catching up. No one had ever stayed with her for this long.
Surprise shot through her. His furious face looked down from twenty feet above her and a hundred yards
off. She calculated his likely path and grimaced. He'd catch her in the next three jumps.
From here on out, the footing became scarce as they neared the middle of the atrium. Most craft tended to stay close to the terraces, content to move from point to point and avoid the sometimes-tricky air currents in the center. It left her few choices, none of them getting her the distance she needed away from her erstwhile shadow.
She considered her next move. She could always let him catch her, ask him what he wanted and why he was after her. It was what a civilized person would do.
Her smile was dark when it came. No one had ever considered her civilized, not even when she bowed to humanity's will and served on the front lines in the worst war of their long history, a war where more people died than lived.
Her hair flew about her face and she grabbed it with one hand, turning and walking along the tram as it steadily rocked under her.
Far below, there were giant circular openings in the floor. Air intakes and outtakes used to filter air throughout the station. They were massive, necessary given the large open area they were required to service.
Kira peered over the side, what she was contemplating giving her pause. If Jin was here, he'd have a whole bunch of statistics about how unlikely her odds of success. Right before he forbade her from undertaking such a reckless action.
Her smile grew. Good thing he wasn't here.
She straightened, the toes of her boots hanging over the edge of the tram as it rocketed along its path, taking her directly over the pipes.
She stilled, taking several deep breaths and releasing them, reaching for her calm center as every sense she had came online.
She waited, the tram picking up speed. Jump too soon and she would undershoot the pipe, too late and she'd overshoot. She needed to be precise.
In her mind, she was aware of the wizard getting closer, of him landing on her tram and sprinting toward her.
Her vision spiraled to that pipe. Her body tensed. Now.
She stepped out into the air, dropping like a stone. She crossed her arms over her chest and pointed her toes, the air rushing past her, the sound of it roaring in her ear.
Faintly, she heard an angry shout above her.
Down, down she went, until the air pressure under her grew, almost supporting her weight from the force of the air being pushed up. She grinned as her descent slowed, then she was past the opening of the pipe.
Its slant gradually increased until it supported most of her weight. The air pressure rose and she started to move toward the opening. The red light of the emergency hatch flashed and she grabbed for it, using it to anchor her as she twisted the lock and shouldered the hatch open.
She collapsed into a service tunnel, panting. Well, that was fun.
CHAPTER FIVE
Kira jogged past another shipping container, grateful for the sight of the dock numbers as she drew close to where she’d left the Wanderer. Finding her way out of the service tunnels had taken longer than she'd anticipated. Her memory of the layout had faded in the past few years and she'd been in a section she'd never visited before.
Still, she was fairly confident she was ahead of pursuit. They would have had to backtrack to the lifts and then make their way to the port side of the station before threading their way through the various ship berths. To say nothing of locating the Wanderer in the first place.
Jin would have made sure the registration was disguised so nothing would immediately point to Kira and him. Until now, that had seemed like pointless paranoia on their part, but she was grateful they'd kept up the security protocol, despite never needing it.
"Jin, you there?" Kira murmured.
"Kira, where the hell have you been? I've been trying you forever. The security trees are lit up like the brothel district on Sarat 8," he hissed over their comms.
"I was in the service tunnels. Just got out a few minutes ago."
The service tunnels were built from a material designed to block radio and comms transmission. It was a remnant of the war when protecting the station's self-sustaining systems was paramount.
"What were you doing there?" Jin asked.
"It was the one place I could lose the Tuann," Kira said, glancing around her. Something felt off, but she didn't know what. "I'm almost to the Wanderer."
"Me too."
"First one there begins the preflight checklist," Kira ordered. "I want to be off this station as soon as possible."
"You won't get an argument from me. I leave you for a few minutes and you have half the station after you. Unbelievable."
Kira allowed herself a small smile at her friend's frustration before it faded, the same feeling from before drawing her attention to the matter at hand.
She slowed to a stop and looked around. There it was again. A niggling feeling on the back of her neck warning she wasn't alone. Someone was out there, watching. Yet when she looked around, feigning a nonchalance she didn't feel, nothing. No sign of anyone else on the platform, just her and an endless number of shipping crates.
Kira continued forward, slower this time. Her footsteps silent as she advanced, hyperalert as she took in her surroundings.
Briefly she considered turning, disappearing into the service tunnels until all interest had vanished. Unfortunately, it would mean being trapped. Eventually, someone would figure out where she was. If they were persistent enough, they could arrange a thorough search until they flushed her out.
At that point she'd be stuck since her ship would likely be under surveillance and/or locked into the dock.
Given her luck, these people would be that persistent.
No, her only option was to continue on and hope her instincts were wrong. It had been years since they'd seen any action. Maybe they were getting their signals crossed after the earlier excitement.
The bulbous shape of the Wanderer appeared out the window port. Relief filled Kira. She was nearly home. Another hundred meters and she'd be there.
Once in the ship, no one would be able to touch her. She hadn't skimped on its security. Not even the best forced boarding specialist in the space force would be able to get on board.
Of course, that left the possibility of aerial attack, but she had a couple of tricks up her sleeve for those too.
She rounded another set of crates, the ship’s airlock in sight. She came to an abrupt stop. A man stood in front of a window with a full view of the Wanderer, his head tilted as he studied it, his hands clasped behind him. His posture was military straight, as if someone had taken a straight rod and welded it to his spine. It made him seem much taller and more imposing than he already was.
"So, this is what you're calling home these days?" he called.
Kira didn't answer, her gaze moving to the shadows of the bay. Despite appearances, the man wasn't alone. There were others here, watching, waiting. For what, she didn't know.
The station security's interest in her suddenly made sense. She might want nothing to do with Centcom these days, but that didn't mean it didn't want something from her. And this man—he was the personification of Centcom.
"Have to say, it's not where I pictured you," he continued.
"What do you want?" Kira asked, her voice hard, not letting the conversational tone lull her into dropping her guard.
"Many, many things," he said, an ache in his voice.
There was sadness there, something Kira ignored. Himoto might regret having taken certain actions, but that didn't mean he wouldn't do them again if he felt it benefited humanity. No matter who got hurt along the way.
"I'm a full admiral now, did you know?" he asked, his mood shifting with lightning quickness.
Kira took a few steps closer. "I had heard."
"Your congratulations must have gotten lost in the void," he said, giving her a friendly smile. It created a spiderweb of lines around the corners of his eyes. The dark hair she remembered was mostly gray now, making him seem distinguished. The cut of it was familiar, short on the sides and a little
longer on top.
"Something like that," Kira murmured, still on the lookout.
"They'll give us time to talk," he said, reading her caution.
She lifted an eyebrow at him. Somehow that wasn't really reassuring. The hidden message being, when they were done talking things would change and her time would have run out.
"You look good," he said, his eyes warm and soft.
"You've gotten old," she said, the words a bit more abrupt than she intended. Her social skills had grown rusty from disuse. To be honest, they'd never been that great in the first place.
Himoto didn't let the comment bother him, throwing his head back on a laugh, his teeth flashing.
His laughter died and his eyes danced with mirth. "I have indeed, despite my best efforts." He studied her. "Not you. You look exactly the same."
Kira didn't show a reaction to that, at least not outwardly. Inside, she fought against a thread of sadness and discomfort. It seemed that was to be her fate, never aging or dying, while the friends around her did both.
It was one of many reasons for her self-imposed isolation. Her oddities were a little easier to take when they weren't thrown in her face on a regular basis. She might look human, but she wasn't. That fact had been made clear to her a long time ago.
"First Spitzy, then Jace, now you; it seems like today is the day for reunions," she observed.
He snorted at the name she'd given Spatz, even as he watched her with fondness.
The shadows stirred and Kira felt a small loosening in her chest. Relief coursed through her. Jin had returned. She wasn't facing Himoto and the entire might of Centcom alone.
"What are you doing here?" she asked Himoto.
O'Riley was an important waypoint, pivotal because of its closeness to both the Tuann and the Haldeel, another alien race humanity had stumbled across in the course of their war. The Haldeel were slightly friendlier than the Tuann, though they were equally convinced humanity was a young race in need of guidance and restrictions.
"Jace and I have been trying to broker an extension of our treaty with the Tuann," he said.