by T. A. White
Seeing he had Graydon's attention, Himoto said, "Now, let's go somewhere we can all talk and you can tell us exactly what you see in Kira's future and what it will mean for her."
Though the words were polite, his expression indicated he wasn't going to bend on this point.
Graydon inclined his head, just the slightest bit, his gaze flicking to Kira's in a penetrating stare before he turned away, snapping orders at his people.
"Kira," Himoto said expectantly.
Kira hesitated, the inescapable feeling her life was about to be changed irrevocably yet again, swamping her.
She glanced at the Wanderer. "If you're really planning to let them take me, I could use some things from my ship."
Himoto watched her, his gaze assessing. "Of course."
Kira turned toward the airlock with a sense of relief.
"I'll accompany you. I would like to see the inside of the place you called home," he said idly.
She glanced at him, noticing she had Graydon's attention again. His head cocked. "I would like to see as well."
"If I said no?" she challenged.
Graydon's smiled at her for the first time. It lacked anything resembling friendliness. It was a challenge, pure and simple. "You're not stepping foot anywhere on this station without one of us by your side."
Something in her rebelled at letting these strangers into her space.
Kira's gaze slid to the Wanderer again. Her home. The place where the most dangerous of her secrets resided.
She came to a decision. It wasn't worth the risk. What was inside could wait for her return. She didn't want either man having a look around. Himoto had a way of ferreting out secrets she preferred remain hers, and Graydon unsettled her on some deep level.
She started forward, walking toward the two men and the lift behind them.
"Your ship?" Himoto inquired.
"Never mind. I'm sure I can get my things later."
The sidelong look Himoto slid her way told her he knew why she'd decided against returning to her ship. To her surprise, he dipped his chin in a small nod and didn’t push before heading to the lift.
She hesitated, unable to help the slight note of challenge in her expression as she glared up at Graydon. His expression was blank as he stared at her before his lips quirked.
"After you, coli," he said.
She didn't respond as she moved on, the Tuann falling in around her until they flanked her, Jace and the rest bringing up the rear.
Her ship had better be in one piece when she returned to it.
CHAPTER SIX
Himoto stepped into a large conference room with floor to ceiling windows looking out into the cosmos. Stars glittered on a black carpet of night, a monochromatic counterpoint to the mostly white room. It left the viewer with the sensation as if they were standing on the very edge of space.
For some, the sight would be disconcerting, given the deceptive fragility the windows implied. Not for Kira, who found the illusion of space mere feet away oddly comforting.
It helped she knew the windows were constructed of material capable of withstanding all but a missile strike and were nearly as durable as the outer hull of the station.
In the middle of the room was a long table capable of seating twenty people. Fruit arranged in the bowls in the center gave the space a bright pop of color.
Himoto gestured for Graydon and Kira to take a seat. The rest of Graydon's people had chosen to wait in the hall, with the exception of the man who'd chased Kira through the honeycomb.
"Now that we're all here and calm," the last was a reminder for Kira. Himoto continued, "Let's see if we can get to the heart of this matter and find a satisfactory compromise for all parties."
Kira contained her snort. Unlikely. Unless any of those compromises involved her on board her ship hightailing it to a less congested part of space. She'd heard the Ghost's Shroud was pretty isolated. No one for billions of miles. Right now, it sounded like exactly what she needed.
Graydon fixed Himoto with a hard stare. "We’re taking the child with us. What happens after that is dependent on her."
Kira choked on a laugh. "Is he serious?"
She was many things but a child wasn’t one of them. Over thirty years had passed since the mission which had rescued her from hell. She didn't think she could really be classified as a child then either, the circumstances of her upbringing burning any trace of innocence out before it had time to form.
Graydon's head turned toward her. "Yes."
Kira waited. No further answer was forthcoming. Her eyebrows climbed in disbelief. That was it? That was his entire response? Yes?
Himoto gestured for patience. Kira bit her tongue on the many things she wanted to say and forced herself to remain in her seat.
"The Tuann are much more long-lived than us," Himoto said cautiously. "It is possible, in their culture, you might not be considered fully grown."
Kira pointed at her face. "Do I look like a child to you?"
"You certainly act like one sometimes," Jace murmured.
She sent him a fulminating glance. His lips quirked, but otherwise he didn't respond.
"I'm not a child," she stated emphatically.
Jin snickered next to her. So glad someone was finding humor in this.
"Until you pass the adva ka and prove yourself, you won’t receive the rights of an adult," Graydon stated as if his words were final.
Jace hid his smirk by dipping his head as Kira stared dumbly at Graydon.
"You don't know how old I am," she said. For all he knew she could be hundreds of years old.
She'd stopped growing years ago. There was no way she was still a child, biologically or mentally. Could a child have fought in a war? Become a hero, then a villain because of her successes and failures? Could they have taken a decrepit ship and restored her to perfect condition? Or run a business and survived on their own for as long as she had?
No.
This whole conversation was ridiculous.
"I believe this is all a miscommunication," Jace said finally interjecting. "You're ascribing the human definition of child to his words. I think it would be more appropriate to say, Lord Graydon sees you in the same way we see those in their first years of university—a young adult without the responsibilities of one."
Graydon didn't react to that statement, neither confirming or denying it as he stared at her over the table.
Kira settled in. Jace's conclusion made sense, even if it grated. She'd worked too hard, for too long, to let anyone take her accomplishments away from her. Children had few rights, only those adults gave them. They were rudderless kites, bobbing along the wind currents of someone else’s ambition and whims. Being seen on the cusp of adulthood was better, but only just.
"What if I don't want to go with you?" she asked.
His gaze was piercing as he gave her his full attention for the first time since he'd sat down. Until now, he'd been focused on Jace and Himoto, as if her presence was an afterthought and she had no real power.
"Your desires don't matter. You are Tuann. Your House and family will have much to answer for when we return, given how they've let you stray so far."
Kira stiffened, her mask slamming down as every muscle in her body tensed at the implication.
Both Himoto and Jace sat forward, knowing Graydon's words for the trigger they were.
"Lord Graydon, I think perhaps you are misunderstanding as well. Kira has no history with your people. She was discovered at a young age—the equivalent of a thirteen-year-old human—in a compound deep in our territory," Himoto said. "She'd been severely mistreated and there were signs of torture. She has no memories of the Tuann. As far as she or anyone knew, she'd been born in that place. Whatever you might think, she did not choose ignorance of your people."
Kira didn't react as her painful history was recited for Graydon's benefit. She didn't often like to think of that place, the memories painful and of a time when she didn't have the power t
o protect herself.
Himoto left out the experiments and the belief among some of her rescuers that her unique qualities stemmed from those experiments.
Now apparently, her oddities had an explanation. She was from an alien race.
She ignored the look of sympathy on the face of the Tuann behind Graydon, her attention locked on the real threat as she stared him down.
His face remained expressionless as Himoto continued, no sign of a reaction to give her a clue to how this was being received.
"As far as we knew, Kira was human. She grew up human and joined our military during the war. No one knew she was Tuann until today," Himoto said.
Thoughts moved behind Graydon's eyes as he processed Himoto’s words. He turned and looked over his shoulder at the other man. His guard nodded and left the room at a fast clip.
"You can prove this, I assume," Graydon said, lifting one eyebrow arrogantly.
"You could take our word for it," Kira drawled.
Graydon's smile was slight, as if her statement amused him. Arrogant, and convinced he would come out the winner in every confrontation, Kira concluded.
"We have documentation, video of her discovery, as well as photos of her growing up," Himoto said. "I'll be happy to provide a copy for you."
"Do that," Graydon said. He lifted himself out of his chair. "This does not change the fact that when I leave here, she will be coming with me." He held up a hand when Himoto would have spoken. "I will, however, not advocate for an immediate termination of the alliance at this time. I warn you this matter has reinforced some of our concerns."
Kira shifted in her seat, tensing before relaxing. She didn't like that he was on this whole “Kira must go to the Tuann's territory,” nor did she like the way they were using the excuse of her existence as a threat to pull out of an alliance they obviously wanted no part in.
Waiting for a better time to act, when conditions were more favorable to her, was the best option. Fighting her way out of this room with the Tuann standing guard and Jace having no doubt ordered a parking lock put on her ship, meant she had to be patient and wily.
"However she might have come to you, since then, it should have become clear what she was. We should have been informed immediately of her existence," Graydon continued.
"By the time the suspicion was raised, Kira had moved on from her position in our military," Jace said, his head propped on one hand. "For a long time, we had no idea where to look for her. It was thought best to leave this issue alone until the situation changed."
Graydon gave him a cold look. "And that is why we will never trust you. The terms of our treaty were quite clear. That you didn't notify us because it was inconvenient to you shows exactly how far you will go when a fact puts your agenda in jeopardy."
Strangely, Kira found herself in agreement with the Tuann. Admitting guilt once you're caught means nothing. A last-minute apology meant to save face and placate the Tuann made humans look worse. Had Centcom meant to deal honorably with their allies they would have let them know about Kira as soon as the suspicion crossed their minds.
She knew why they didn't. They didn't want to lose control of their leverage. They would have done everything they could to hide her existence.
She would have helped them too. Too bad she had stumbled straight into the Tuann's path, setting them on their present course.
"The past is done, and mistakes were made," Himoto said, his expression grave. "But, we cannot in good conscience let you take her without some assurance of her safety."
Graydon's eyes narrowed slightly. "What is it you want?"
"We'd like to send a team with her," Jace said. "They can make sure she's settled before returning."
Graydon watched the two men and then jerked his head down. "Done. Baran is contacting her House, but I cannot guarantee they will be as accommodating."
Himoto bowed his head. "We understand."
Graydon turned his attention to Kira. "I’ll give you time to say goodbye, then our ship will be leaving."
He didn't wait for her to respond, striding out of the room without a backward glance.
Once the door had shut, the room was quiet for several beats as Kira turned to Himoto, murder on her face.
"Explain what just happened."
Not the part about where she was Tuann—she got that—but the part where Himoto had agreed to let them take her like she was a piece of luggage that could be passed around. Not a person with thoughts and opinions of her own.
"As you've seen, our relationship with the Tuann is rather unstable," Jace said. "We have to tread cautiously."
Kira gave him a look of disbelief. "From what I saw, they pretty much dictate to you and you take it."
Himoto rubbed his chin, for the first time seeming tired. "You're not far off."
"Why?" she asked.
"We got off on a bad foot with the Tuann during first contact," Himoto said.
Kira waited.
"We made certain assumptions about their technological abilities and the strategic value of allying with them," Jace explained.
"Assumptions that are now biting us in the ass." Himoto's voice was frank. "We need them, but we've insulted them during nearly every encounter."
"What assumptions?" Kira asked. Knowing the Consortium, it could be anything.
The two shared a long look.
"In the early days of first contact, the Tuann were careful to appear nonthreatening. Even today, we don't know much about them. They’re a secretive race. We do know they've arranged themselves in what they call Houses. People of differing origin work together for a common goal," Himoto instructed.
"Sounds similar to the Consortium," Kira said.
Himoto made an expression of agreement. "In a way."
The Consortium was a collection of Earth's former colonies. When humanity first entered into space and established themselves outside their home planet, they did so to benefit Earth. As a result, much of their resources went to Earth.
However, in the vastness of space, retaining control over territories that were sometimes a year or more of travel away was difficult. War happened and Earth lost control of her colonies.
The individual planets created identities for themselves that endured to present day. Each planet had representatives on the council and was tasked with meeting a quota for military enrollment.
The war with the Tsavitee strengthened the Consortium in some ways, turning it from a collection of planets prone to infighting, to a strong system of governance bound together by the very survival of the human race.
"They place a lot of value on their personal honor and deeds. We don't know much about them, but we do know they seem to have a strong warrior class that seems to share similarities to the samurai of my people’s history," Himoto said.
"None of that explains how you went wrong," Kira said.
"Those responsible for first contact were invited to a planet. It was largely agricultural, and those responsible deemed the Tuann as unadvanced, believing they had nothing that would benefit us. The humans involved presented us in a bad light. They broke promises—something the Tuann see as a mortal insult. Furthermore, they strayed where they weren't supposed to go while ignoring numerous warnings."
"The Tuann predate the Haldeel in space travel," Himoto continued. "They are as technologically advanced—perhaps even more so. It has put us in a dangerous position—especially since the Haldeel have let us know they want this tension resolved.”
"Admiral Himoto and I have been tasked by Centcom to repair our relationship with the Tuann." Jace's expression was grave.
All interesting points, but Kira suspected there was much more to this.
"That doesn't explain why you're willing to give them anything they want," Kira said.
Himoto sighed. "Show her."
Jace took the tablet from his side and hit a couple of buttons before throwing the screen he'd raised on the hologram at the end of the table.
It was a vid
eo of space, the utter black relieved by the bright glitter of stars. Kira didn't know what she was supposed to be looking at.
Jace zoomed in, and suddenly the picture spiraled down, blocking out the stars to show what had both men so serious.
Kira leaned in, a rock settling in her stomach. "That's a Tsavitee ship."
There was a small hum as Jin moved closer. "It looks like a Raven class."
Raven class, named for the small wing-like protrusions on each side and the utter black of its hull, it was a reconnaissance ship. Hard to spot with the naked eye and nearly impossible to track with instruments, it had slipped through the lines during the war with ridiculous ease.
"Where did you find it?" she asked.
"Three million clicks from Zepher," Jace said.
"They're back," she said around numb lips. She sat still, suddenly feeling like all thought, all emotion had been drained out of her.
She didn't know how to process the news the Tsavitee might be gearing up for another incursion into human space. It was unthinkable. The last war had cost them so much, in some ways forever changing the course of humanity. Even years after the fact, they were still picking up the pieces.
"We don't know," Himoto admitted. "But the fact it popped up so close to the Tuann's visit to discuss the alliance has a lot of people in power nervous."
She could imagine.
The Tsavitee were here. She couldn't quite bring herself to believe it.
"Why are you telling me this?" Kira asked. This information was classified. Centcom and the government wouldn't want word of this getting out and causing mass panic. That meant they had a reason for revealing it.
"I know you, Kira-chan. I trained you, remember?" Himoto said. "The Tuann might think they have you trapped, but how long will that last? You'll take the first opportunity to disappear. I can guarantee they'll dissolve the treaty in retaliation, leaving us open to possible attack."
Kira lifted her chin but didn't deny his assessment. Why bother? He was right.
"Hopefully, this will convince you against such foolish measures," he said.