by T. A. White
As difficult as it was, if Raider needed this, Kira would do her best to give it to him. It was the least she owed him.
Raider pushed away from the window and straightened, the previous exhaustion and grief falling away as if it had never been. Composed, he studied Elise.
"I don't think I could be objective right now," he admitted.
Kira patted him on the shoulder as she moved in the direction of the door and the Haldeel standing guard there.
If she was being honest, she didn’t think she was going to be any better.
Still, she couldn't force herself to step aside and assign another the task. She'd risked too much for this chance. No one knew Elise better than her.
The Haldeel looked from her to Finn. "Only one inside at a time."
Kira shook her head at Finn as he opened his mouth to protest. "It's fine. Stay here."
Finn's frown was grumpy.
It was clear her assurances didn't hold much weight with him. Considering the last two times she'd said something to that effect had ended with her life in danger, she could see why he thought that way.
Undeterred, Kira pointed at the viewing window. "You can watch me from there. As you can see, there are no exits except for this door. The likelihood of me finding trouble is practically nonexistent."
"I've heard that before."
"You're much too handsome to be so suspicious," she said.
"I wonder if Graydon would think the same."
Kira's mouth dropped as she sputtered. "What does he have to do with this?"
Finn sent her a look as he made his way over to the viewing window. "You forget I stand guard outside your room."
Kira made a strangled sound as Jin reacted like he'd been touched with electricity.
"Say what? Did something happen that you forgot to tell me about?"
"Nope." Kira shook her head in denial. "Not at all."
Before Jin could fixate, Kira faced the Haldeel and pointed at Jin. "It's fine if he comes with me, right?"
The guard hesitated, glancing at Alexander to ask permission. Receiving it, he stepped to the side and opened the door.
"You only have a few minutes," he informed her.
Kira didn't answer, her attention already on the woman inside.
"Her biorhythms are consistent with Elise's," Jin said, using the comms so the woman wouldn't hear.
His words woke her out of her daze. Kira slowly made her way over to the table and took a seat.
Elise's gaze followed her the entire way.
A less suspicious person might have assumed the woman was feeling the same cocktail of emotions as Kira.
Unfortunately, Kira's rose-colored glasses were destroyed long ago.
"You've come all this way. Aren't you going to say anything?" the Elise lookalike asked when Kira didn't speak.
"Do you recognize me?" Kira asked through numb lips.
A pang of recognition went through her at Elise's crooked smile.
"It hasn't been that long," Elise said.
"Thirteen years."
"Twelve and four months." Elise winked. "But who's counting?"
"Why are you here?" Kira asked, not letting herself get pulled into the other's pace.
"I missed you."
"You have a funny way of showing it."
Elise flicked a dismissive hand. "You can't blame me for that. I knew you'd save them. You always do."
Instead of the expected anger, Kira felt herself relax. "I'll give you this. You almost had me fooled."
Elise watched her carefully. "You think I'm a fake."
"I don't just think. I know. You wear her face and have her mannerisms, but you're not her."
Kira stood and made her way over to the door.
"Red balloon."
Kira froze as Elise sent her a coquettish look.
"Do I have your attention now?"
Kira didn’t answer, feeling rooted to the spot, her chest tight and her gaze unseeing.
"Not enough?" Elise tapped her chin. "Then how about the hawk jumped over the crow.”
Kira flinched.
“Still think I'm fake?” Elise asked.
Feeling like she was in a nightmare, Kira took in the woman who knew things only Elise would.
If it was just one code, Kira could have passed it off as coincidence. Everyone had a breaking point, and Elise had been in Tsavitee hands for over a decade.
It was a given she would have broken under the torture.
That's why she and Elise had come up with the second code. It was supposed to be a failsafe.
"You're really Elise," Kira said through numb lips.
"Bingo. You're finally getting it."
"Where have you been all this time?" Jin asked, speaking aloud for the first time.
"Tin Man, it's been so long, and that's the first question you're asking?" Elise made a tsking sound. "Where's the outpouring of relief and happiness? If I didn't know better, I'd think you'd both be happier if I were dead."
Kira and Jin didn’t respond as they stared at Elise like they had seen a ghost.
"Why don't you and Nixxy have a seat so we can have a proper reunion?" Elise invited as she tilted her head at the seat across from her.
Her wrists were locked to the table with force cuffs preventing any movement in her arms.
"Kira," Jin started.
"I know."
Elise looked between the two of them with a small smile playing on her lips. "I missed this—the way you two can have an entire conversation with a few words. I always thought it meant you had an otherworldly connection."
Alexander and Selene were right. This was going to bring Kira nothing but heartache and grief.
Kira forced herself to the table, taking a seat and projecting a calm she didn't feel.
"Answer Jin's question,” Kira ordered. “Where have you been?”
Elise ignored Kira’s words, staring at Jin in a way utterly unlike any in the past—like he was a science experiment she was trying to figure out the answer to.
"I've always wondered. Do you feel?" Elise asked Jin.
Under the table, Kira's hands clenched.
She's trying to get into your head. Treat her like any other enemy. This Elise isn't the one you knew, Kira told herself.
"You must," Elise continued. "Otherwise, you'd go crazy, right?"
"I think we're done here," Kira said.
Jin was her line in the sand. She wouldn't risk him or his safety.
"Did I hit a sensitive spot?" Elise asked, faking contriteness. "I did, didn't I?"
The question helped clear Kira's mind, washing away the feeling of being off-balance as logic reasserted itself.
This wasn't the way Elise did things. Words that hid sharp blades designed to draw blood. Barely veiled taunting.
Elise had always been direct. She wasn't as sarcastic as Kira, but she'd never backed down from a fight.
They'd butted heads on more than one occasion, and never once had Elise used this subtle verbal sparring to make her point.
"Why did you attack the race?" Kira asked.
Seeing she'd failed to elicit the reaction she'd intended, Elise made a moue of disappointment and sat up. "Who said I did? I'm an innocent bystander who got caught in the commotion."
"Do you really think I'll believe that?" Kira asked.
If the Haldeel had arrested her and arranged her transfer to Almaluk, they were sure of her guilt.
Kira simply didn't understand the why behind it.
Until she did, there was no point in continuing this conversation.
"Where are you going?" Elise asked as Kira made to stand. For the first time there was a hint of concern in her words.
"I've learned what I need to know," Kira said.
"What about Rothchild?" Seeing Kira's hesitation, Elise chuckled. "Didn't you ever wonder why the moon exploded?"
Common assumption was that the miners had set off the charges to ignite the smaralta which caused a massive ch
ain reaction in the tunnels under the moon's crust.
What no one except for Kira, Himoto, and Jin knew was that those charges had failed before they ever saw use.
Her superiors had been in the process of ordering her to use her burst, when the moon unexpectedly exploded early.
In Kira’s nightmares, she sometimes wondered if she’d somehow unknowingly used her burst, directly causing the deaths of the people she cherished the most.
"We both know you didn't do it. You were too busy playing savior. Haven't you ever wondered who was responsible?"
A sick feeling filled Kira's stomach as Elise gave her a cruel smile.
"Someone had to do what you weren't willing to."
Kira shook her head. "You couldn't have."
Kira had reviewed the recordings from Rothchild a hundred times. There was no way. Elise had been too far away at the time of detonation.
"Sister dearest, you're not the only one able to use the burst. Granted, mine is only a fraction of yours, but a small spark was all that was needed."
Kira couldn't reconcile this woman with the one she'd known.
There was no emotion in those words. No care for the fallen.
It was like they didn't even matter.
"Why?" Kira ground out.
"Himoto." Elise’s playfulness turned spiteful. "I tried to tell you a thousand times he was linked to the camps, but you never wanted to listen. He saved you which meant you were willing to ignore everything else."
Kira opened her mouth to respond when the station bucked around them.
"What was that?" Kira asked as the station shuddered again.
Glee spread across Elise's face. "The show has finally begun."
"A Tsavitee fleet appeared next to Jettie's moon." Jin sounded distracted as he tapped into the communication network of the station.
Jin’s horror flooded their link. "Kira, they've started bombarding the planet."
Kira felt like she was hearing those words from a great distance. Fear she hadn't felt in years welled up.
"I hope you don't have any friends down there. Chances are they won't make it," Elise crooned.
Stricken, Kira’s gaze met Elise’s. Elena was still down there.
Before Kira could recover, Elise yanked her hands out of the force cuffs and hit the deck.
Kira reached for her ki as a warning screamed across her instincts.
An explosion ripped through her world, sending her body spinning. She crashed into the window behind her, cracking it.
Darkness slammed into her brain.
TWENTY-THREE
THE CONCERN ON his First's face pulled Graydon's attention from the tedious boredom of the conversation he was currently trapped in.
It wasn't like Solal to interrupt during a gathering as influential as this one.
Solal was the first oshota to pledge himself to Graydon. As a result, the two knew each other better than anyone else.
Whatever had put that look on his face was important.
With a conciliatory smile at the Haldeel in front of him, Graydon excused himself.
Solal stepped up to his side and bent his head toward Graydon. "There are concerning reports from our ships. Unknown transmissions have been detected on Almaluk and surrounding space."
"Inform our people," Graydon ordered, sweeping his gaze over the crowd. "Assign Cord and Isla to escort Yukina and her oshota to their ship. I want them off the station as soon as possible."
It should be extraordinarily difficult to penetrate Haldeel space, but nothing was impossible.
The quorum had opened a hole in Haldeel defenses. A wise foe would seek to take advantage of the influx of people to stage an attack.
Graydon's face grew grim at the possibilities.
Just then, his attention landed on Jace as he leaned down to speak into Admiral Himoto's ear in much the same fashion Solal had with Graydon.
Himoto's expression didn't shift, remaining stoic. He turned his head, hiding his mouth. Jace nodded at whatever he said before straightening.
Not looking left or right, Jace moved away at a quick clip. When he was gone, Himoto stood and made his way over to Graydon.
Curious, Graydon waited for him.
In the dealings Graydon had had with this human, he could see the man was different from the rest of the Consortium. Graydon even held a measure of respect toward him.
Himoto was a man of principle and duty—devoted to the greater good rather than the lesser few.
Such a man would be admired as a leader but hated by friends and family.
It took a strong person to endure the recriminations of others when they were forced to make the difficult choices that would ensure the safety of so many.
In this, Graydon thought he understood Himoto better than Kira.
Her first instinct was always to save everyone. Himoto was more pragmatic. He'd save who he could and silently bear the burden of those he couldn't.
"We meet again," Graydon said in greeting as Himoto reached him. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"
Himoto didn't beat around the bush. "Judging from your actions, you've been informed of the same thing I have."
Graydon didn't confirm or deny, waiting to see what Himoto would do.
The human didn't disappoint. "What you may not know is that I have intel that an attack is imminent."
"You're sharing this with me why?"
"We have something in common. We both care for the same woman," Himoto said simply.
Graydon bared his teeth in a smile more suited to a dragon. "Are you sure that's the only reason?"
A man like Himoto always had more than one reason for doing things.
Graydon believed he really did care for Kira and wanted only the best for her. That didn't negate the fact Himoto had other motivations for sharing.
"There are some concerning developments on my side. I thought it best to reach out," Himoto said with a faint smile.
In other words, he no longer trusted his own people.
After the display by Admiral Kent, Graydon couldn't say he was surprised.
Seeing Graydon's acceptance, Himoto lowered his voice. "They'll go after Kira first. Under no circumstances can she be allowed to fall into their hands."
Graydon's eyes sharpened. "Why?"
"That is an old story that would take too long to tell."
Before Graydon could ask anything more, the floor under their feet bucked and rolled as explosions rocked the station.
Screams sounded around them as a second explosion made people stumble.
"Those were internal explosions," Himoto said.
It was the worst nightmare of any station master. Fear of sudden depressurization was one of the reasons projectile weapons were universally banned in space.
Most ships wouldn't even let you on board with one.
The frame of the station was self-repairing, but it wouldn't prevent loss of life from those in the immediate vicinity of the explosion.
Movement above pulled Graydon's attention upward.
"It looks like that’s the least of our problems," he observed as dozens of Tsavitee warships dropped into orbit around the planet.
With no time for anyone to react, bright beams of light erupted from the ships as they immediately started firing on the cities below.
"This ambush is exceedingly well planned," Graydon admitted with a dark look.
They'd waited until the strongest warriors were on the station before attacking, increasing the likelihood of landing a decisive blow against those remaining.
"The Tsavitee have always been good at striking when you're at your weakest." Himoto's face was creased in deep thought as he stared at the attacking ships.
Graydon detected no fear in the human general. It was as if the specter of death and defeat held no sway, his mind already devising scenarios likely to lead to optimal outcomes.
"You two are very alike," Graydon murmured.
Kira got that same look on her face whe
n she was up against the wall. When others would lose themselves to panic, she always had this calm about her, as if by taking in the different variables of a situation she'd find a way through.
Himoto sent Graydon a questioning look.
Graydon shook his head, ignoring it. Now wasn't the time to be caught up in such things.
"I find it strange the station’s defenses haven't come online yet," Solal remarked.
"It's likely the first explosions targeted those systems," Himoto said. "It's what I would do in their place."
Above, the Haldeel had finally scrambled a response to the threat, several cruisers firing at the enemy as they arrowed toward them.
The smaller size of the Haldeel ships against the massive frames of the Tsavitee ships made it seem like they were minnows up against a shark.
Defeat was inevitable. The best they could hope for was to delay the bombardment and buy time for the rest of the fleet to intervene.
"Isn't this an interesting development," Torvald said, joining Graydon and Himoto, his eyes on the stars and the battle taking place there.
Graydon scowled at him. "Shouldn't you be with Yukina?"
"It's so cute how you thought I'd obey such an order."
It would certainly make Graydon's life easier if he had.
Forget it. The man had always been capricious and only did what he wanted. Nothing Graydon could say would change that.
"How delightful, the enemy has decided to come and test us." Torvald sounded happy as two of the Tsavitee ships broke off from the bombardment to head in their direction.
"Most wouldn't find that a cause for celebration," Himoto observed as the previously stunned crowd finally woke up to the danger they were in.
They stampeded for the exit. The Haldeel guards who'd remained after the royal's departure immediately following Kira’s exit tried to maintain order.
"Admiral, shouldn't we leave too?" one of Himoto's aides asked.
"You could try, but I doubt you'll make it out." Torvald stepped forward as the Tsavitee ship spun, lining up their cannons. "Your toys have blocked the exit."
The Tsavitee ship fired.
Torvald raised a hand, golden ki snaking up his arm and spilling out of his palm. It shot up, spreading across the bubble in a split second.
Light seared the eyes of those present as the shot from the Tsavitee ship impacted.