Rules of Redemption

by T. A. White

  Jin flew out of the trees making a beeline straight for Kira. The distraction served to remind Raider of where they were.

  He straightened. "One day we're going to finish this, Kira."

  "I'll look forward to that. Until then, why don't you run along and be the good little soldier boy? Blue can act as the human guard."

  "Oh no, cupcake. You aren't calling the shots. You're stuck with me until the end of my rotation," Raider said.

  "I can't do what I need to do with someone who so obviously hates the Tuann at my side," Kira said through gritted teeth.

  He shrugged. "Not my problem."

  Kira tapped the spoon against her bowl trying to resist the urge to punch him in the face.

  Jin arrived, twisting to take in both of them. "What's wrong?"

  "Nothing," Kira said, putting her bowl on the table. She suddenly wasn't hungry anymore.

  "Oookay," Jin said, drawing out the word.

  "What do you want, tin can?" Raider asked.

  "You know that's not my name, meat sack."

  "You seem to think I care about your feelings. I don't."

  Jin's sigh was gusty. "I forgot how much of an annoyance you were."

  "Happy I could remind you," Raider said.

  Kira shook her head. Just like old times. It was amazing how she ever thought she'd missed this.

  She picked up another bowl and forced herself to eat several bites. She was going to need the fuel later.

  She glanced at Jin in question. A small light flashed twice. He'd found something but didn't want to talk about it where the other two could hear.

  She grimaced. Finding a time without any listening ears was going to be difficult, especially since both groups seemed hellbent on keeping as close an eye on her as possible.

  When she finally couldn't eat another bite, Kira rose. "Let's explore, Jin."

  "The Overlord will want to speak to you today," Finn said.

  Kira gave him a sideways glance. "When?"

  "She'll send for you when she's ready."

  Kira walked away. "I'm sure whoever she sends can find us if need be."

  She didn't plan to stay cooped up in a room until these people figured out what they wanted to do with her. She'd found being proactive worked a whole heck of a lot better than waiting for others to make the decisions for you.

  They passed Blue tinkering with the innards of some electronics, the purpose of which was a mystery. Kira couldn't tell what it was after Blue had done such a thorough job disassembling it.

  Blue looked up, her eyes magnified by the goggles on her head. "Where are you two going?"

  "The princess wants to explore." Raider jabbed a thumb at Kira.

  She shook her head at him and kept walking. If she let him, he'd keep picking at her until she found herself retreating to her room to escape. There'd be no wandering the Citadel then.

  There was a clatter behind her and then Blue hustled after them.

  "I'll come with," Blue said with a happy smile.

  Kira glanced behind them at Raider. He folded his arms and looked away but didn't comment.

  Kira returned Blue's smile. "Sounds good."

  "I'll lead," Finn said with a sigh.

  Blue kept up a running chatter as they left Graydon and the oshota's suite. Kira nodded and pretended to pay attention as they turned right, heading deeper into the Citadel.

  It wasn't long before they entered the more populated section, passing Luathans who peered at Kira with interest.

  None wore synth armor. Kira assumed that meant they weren’t warriors.

  Instead, the Luathans they passed were clad in garments that at first glance appeared almost simple. When Kira looked closer, she saw details she'd missed the first time. Some wore dresses with intricately braided material. Others were pieced together, panels creating a subtle three-dimensional pattern.

  The style the men wore was similar, buttons with some type of intricate detail to draw the eye. The longer you looked, the more you noticed, as if only by studying each person could you take in the full effect of them.

  Kira looked at those they passed with the same interest aimed her way. The Luathans, she noticed, were more individualized than she'd first assumed. There was more variation in hair and eye color, though blond hair and purple eyes seemed to dominate.

  "It's like some scene out of a holovid,” Raider said. “It’s creepy.”

  Blue rolled her eyes. "You're always so grumpy. I think it's nice. They seem happy."

  "You think everything is nice."

  Blue wasn't listening. She darted to a doorway that led into a sun-drenched room. She paused on the threshold, not entering, as she examined the pattern etched into the doorframe.

  "See something?" Kira asked.

  Blue hummed.

  Kira waited, drifting closer to see what had so fascinated Blue.

  "I was right," Blue said, bouncing up and down, nearly vibrating with excitement.

  "About what?" Kira asked.

  "See these." Blue pointed to several points on the pattern. "They bear a startling resemblance to Elder Futhark runes dating from the second to eighth centuries in parts of old Europe."

  Kira’s forehead wrinkled in thought.

  "And here. These look like they derive from the Phoenician alphabet which would have originated somewhere around the Mediterranean."

  Blue stepped back, peering up at the doorway with something approaching awe.

  Kira and Raider watched her, Finn a disinterested presence behind them.

  "I've seen similar runes all over the parts of the Citadel I've seen,” Blue said. “Admittedly I haven't seen much."

  Raider scratched his neck. "So? Why is that important?"

  Blue's gaze darted to Finn before she stepped closer to the two of them and lowered her voice. "Because it means at some point in Earth's past the Tuann visited, saw the runes, and then etched them into this place."

  Kira drew back.

  Blue gestured to the runes again. "These are old. This whole place is ancient as far as I can tell."

  "Graydon did say it was nearly five thousand years old," Kira admitted.

  "These weren't put here recently," Blue said. "Do you know how momentous it would be if they visited Earth at some point? I mean, this places their advance to space flight thousands of years before our own. No wonder we can't understand their technology."

  By now Blue was babbling, her brain working overtime as she worked through all the possibilities. Kira could see the scientist inside taking hold.

  Blue was the technician’s specialist for the Curs, but she was also more than that. Jin had pulled her records—all their records—while still near O’Reilly’s orbit. Blue had several degrees and PhDs in fields Kira had never even heard of before. The level of her intelligence was awe-inspiring, more so since she had elected to take a position in the military—a path not many with her capabilities would have embarked upon.

  Raider stared at the doorway, one side of his mouth pulling in skepticism. "Couldn't it be coincidence? There are only so many ways you can make a squiggle. Maybe it seems similar, but they aren’t related."

  Blue fixed him with a glower. "Do you know the odds of that?"

  "No, but I bet you do," he muttered.

  "That's right. The odds of it being coincidence are so infinitesimally small it's not worth calculating. If one symbol was similar, maybe, but I've seen at least ten." Blue stared at both of them before slapping the doorframe. "These originated on Earth."

  Or they originated with the Tuann, and Earth's ancient people appropriated the runes for their own use, Kira thought.

  She kept her speculation to herself as Raider shook his head and walked away, saying over his shoulder. "Let's move on. I don't care about a bunch of lines."

  Blue's gaze went to Kira, pleading in them. Kira shrugged at her. "There's a lot to see. We can come back later."

  Blue sighed and then trudged after Finn.

  Jin took up his
spot over Kira's shoulder. "It could explain their seemingly deep-seated dislike of humans."

  Kira nodded as they shared a glance. Each of them sank into their own thoughts as they followed Finn.

  After several minutes of awkward silence, Kira quickened her footsteps until she was walking by the terse oshota. "Since you're the resident expert, tell us about this place."

  Finn stirred, shooting a veiled look her way.

  She shrugged. "If these people really are my family, I should probably know something about them."

  And if it would distract Blue from her pouting, even better.

  Finn sighed. "The Citadel is ruled by House Luatha."

  "Is everyone in it Luathan?" Blue asked.

  "Most, but not all. Some smaller Houses have settled here. Others have sent their most talented to study under Luatha’s masters."

  Blue's mouth opened on another question.

  Finn answered before she could voice it. "Luatha is known for its artisans and inventors."

  Kira hid a smile as Blue settled in with a frown.

  "How much of the planet belongs to Luatha?" Kira asked.

  "All of it."

  She frowned at him. "What do you mean?"

  "This is the Luathan home planet. Everything you see here is under their protection."

  Blue leaned forward, her expression intense. "How many worlds do the Tuann claim?"

  Finn was quiet as he considered Blue. His gaze shifted to Kira. She lifted her eyebrows. She was curious as well.

  Raider had stopped short, his interest in the topic obvious.

  Finn appeared uncomfortable for the first time. "Many."

  Kira blinked.

  How was that possible? Himoto was going to be very upset, when he learned how badly first contact had erred.

  Kira could see Blue doing the math. There were five powerful Houses, each likely to have at least one world if not more. Add in an untold number of branch Houses and the less powerful unaffiliated Houses and there was no telling how many worlds were claimed by the Tuann.

  They might even rival the Haldeel's empire for size.

  "Ta Da'an is one among many territories Luatha claims. They also have a considerable presence on the emperor's world," he said.

  Raider and Blue's shocked expressions mirrored hers.

  "This is among the oldest of our worlds. The structure of the Citadel is nearly five thousand years old in some parts and has always rested in Luathan hands," Finn continued as they walked.

  "This next section is called the hall of ancestors," he said, gesturing.

  Still reeling from his revelation, Kira looked where he indicated. A long hallway stretched before her, arches meeting at the ceiling high above, the walls surprisingly blank given the decorative features on every surface they'd passed previously.

  A deep green light bathed its length.

  She paused on the edge. "You sure have an odd decorating scheme."

  Finn ignored her comment and stepped into the green light, Jace and Blue following as they glanced around in curiosity.

  Kira’s progress was slower as she examined the hallway. Despite its name, she didn't see any presence of her ancestors. There were no paintings or sculptures, no symbols on the walls. Nothing.

  "Why do you call it the hall of ancestors?" Kira asked, her head tilted up as she took in the ceiling high above.

  Silence answered her.

  Kira looked up.

  Her normally imperturbable oshota appeared shocked, his gaze disbelieving.

  There was a panicked squeak as Blue stumbled, fear filling her face. She cowered away from Kira as she fumbled for a device at her side.

  Raider cursed. His pistol was out and pointed at her in the next second. "Turn it off, Kira."

  Kira stilled, blinking in dumb surprise at the weapon aimed her way. She expected a lot from Raider, but not this.

  "What are you doing? You know you're not going to shoot me," she said in exasperation. If this was another game of his, she wasn't in the mood. "Stop pointing that at me."

  He shook his head. Unlike Blue, there wasn't fear in him, just an angry defensiveness.

  It forced her to pause.

  "Kira, your arms," Jin said softly.

  She looked down hesitantly, blinking in blank surprise at the translucent lines and symbols etched on every inch of exposed skin.

  How? What?

  Fear grabbed hold of her throat. She panted in near panic at the first marker of her shift, fearing she'd somehow lost control of the monster inside.

  This wasn't the first time she'd seen such marks, but it was the first time they'd displayed themselves when not called.

  She suddenly understood Raider's fear. "It's not me. I'm not doing this."

  He shook his head but didn't drop the weapon.

  Blue pressed herself against the wall behind him, trying to get as far from Kira as she could.

  Hopelessness choked Kira. This, this right here was why she left. It didn't matter how many people she saved or how many times she risked her life. Most humans would only see the monster.

  His finger tightened on the trigger, and Kira steeled herself to act. Before she could move, Finn was there, his hand on the gun. He shoved it away, before grabbing Raider and tossing him back as if he was no heavier than a bag of feathers.

  Raider landed with a thud, rolling and regaining his feet seconds later. He didn't take his eyes off Kira. He knew who the real threat was in this situation. His legs remained flexed, his posture defensive as he waited.

  Kira touched the lines on her skin. It hadn't escaped her Finn lacked similar lines, his skin as smooth and unblemished as Raider's. It seemed even among her people she was a freak.

  She turned from them and made her way to the other end of the hall.

  "Kira," Jin called.

  "Make sure Finn doesn't kill Raider," she told Jin, her voice flat.

  Then she was gone, running as fast as she could for outside. The walls seemed to close in on her as she flew past startled faces. No one bothered her as she raced by.

  Soon she found herself outside, the sun shining on her as her breathing slowed and calm gradually replaced the frantic need to escape.

  She touched her arms, relieved to see no trace of the symbols. They were a part of her, but it was a part she feared.

  For a brief moment in the hall of ancestors, she'd remembered what it meant to be the Phoenix, to be the person feared, even as people worshiped her as a hero. She'd spent the past several years burying that person, only to have her resurrected by a green light and a few lines.

  She sighed. Sometimes it felt like no matter how hard she tried, the past kept dragging her back.

  Her arm dropped to her side and she lifted her head to the sun. It didn't have to. She'd proven that. She was more than a weapon of war.

  Her life might be small and meager to some, but it was hers.

  Whatever the humans thought, whatever the Tuann believed, she knew who she was, and she wasn't going to let anyone take that away from her.

  With that decision, it felt like a weight released from her and Kira began moving again, paying more attention to her surroundings.

  The gradual sounds of laser fire coupled with laughter drew her notice and she walked toward the noise, the need for a distraction riding her.

  The shouting got louder even as the high-pitched buzzing sound grew. Kira moved through the trees into a clearing as she followed a narrow dirt path to a fence that reached several handspans above her head and stretched on either side as far as she could see until it disappeared into the trees.

  It was made from a material she’d never seen. Translucent and see-through, but impenetrable, as Kira found when she tried to stick her hand through it. Pillars were embedded deep in the ground at a set distance all along the fence, supporting it.

  Beyond it, she saw the endless stretch of a shallow lake, with trees and rocks sticking out of the water, creating uncertain footholds for those brave enoug
h to attempt crossing it.

  Kira joined the crowd watching the event as she tried to make sense of what she was seeing. All around her the crowd cheered and jeered, black synth armor mixing with green, Graydon's soldiers mingling among the Luatha.

  Kira pushed her way to the front for a better view.

  Inside the fenced-off arena, two people raced along the most extreme version of an obstacle course Kira had ever seen. Some of it looked natural—rocks and stumps showing just above the surface of the water the participants could use to cross—other parts were Luathan-made. Raised platforms dotted the arena, joined together by perilous bridges—the kind where the wood planks were attached to each other by rope but lacked handholds. You’d have to be both fast and precise as you ran across its surface or risk a dunking in the water.

  Vertical walls and mud pits designed to slow a competitor’s speed further complicated the dangerous course. And if that wasn’t enough, they’d also created drones capable of shooting laser fire to make competitors’ lives as difficult as possible.

  As Kira watched, the course suddenly shifted, the water beginning to thrash and grow turbulent as foot paths rose from its depths. The entire course’s difficulty and obstacles could be controlled, Kira realized. It was basically a physical simulation, using the natural world as its base.

  Graydon’s lithe form appeared, springing from rock to rock as he dodged beams of laser fire. He made the difficult task look ridiculously easy as he twisted and flipped, never pausing or missing a step. Several drones similar in shape to Jin but bulkier and slower chased him from foothold to foothold, trying to pin him down as he leaped and ducked, deftly avoiding their fire.

  On the other side of the course, another crowd cheered the combatants on as they raced across the watery obstacle course toward the finish line, avoiding the streams of laser fire.

  "What's going on?" she asked a woman in green standing next to her.

  The woman was tall, her hair short. She had a dusting of freckles on her cheeks and nose, and pretty amber-colored eyes.

  "The Emperor's Face accepted a challenge from the overlord's marshal," she said excitedly.

  "What does that mean?" Kira asked over the crowd's roar as Graydon leaped, catching hold of one of the ropes dangling from an overhanging branch, before using its momentum to swing his body in an arc before releasing it. He landed on top of a drone. He hammered a vicious punch into its metal body, puncturing it. He withdrew his fist, wires clasped in it. He leapt from the crashing drone, landing on one of the bridges before racing across it and swinging down.