by T. A. White
"Jace and I have been trying to broker an extension of our treaty with the Tuann," he said.
Kira digested that, wariness making her cautious. She didn't like the fact the Tuann had been after her—and here Himoto was, admitting he was trying to curry their favor.
"Kind of you to take time out of your schedule for little old me," Kira said, testing him.
"I looked for you when you left."
She flinched and looked away. She didn't want to dredge up the past. There were too many demons there.
"Get to the point, Himoto," Kira said, forcing steel into her voice. She wasn't the broken mess of before. She wouldn't crumple at the first push by someone she once knew.
"I'd like you to sit down and talk to the Tuann."
"No."
His sigh was long and he shook his head slightly. "You always have to do things the hard way."
"It's the only way I know to be." Kira didn't let herself feel bad about that fact. Maybe once, before she'd rebuilt herself from the ground up, but now, she embraced all her jagged edges.
"If that's it, I have a ship to repair," she said, starting by him.
"Do you want to be responsible for starting another war?" he asked, his words flat and emotionless.
Kira gave him a sharp look, a banked fury burning at her core. "Don't."
He didn't listen, his expression calm. "Because that's what will happen if you don't listen."
Kira hesitated. He was serious.
Seeing something in her face he continued, "Running isn't going to save you this time. Your ship's modifications might protect you from us, but it won't do anything against them."
"What do you know about my ship?" Kira barked.
"Parts from a Tsavitee cruiser in your engine, a new power source none of my engineers can explain and a drive capable of at least three times the speed your ship is classed for. To say nothing of the weapons and defenses it shouldn't have," Himoto said, almost admiringly. "Jin does good work."
"Not just Jin," Kira corrected. She'd done as much on the ship as he had, teaching herself along the way. They'd created something that was much more than it appeared. She was proud of everything they’d done, even if most would never know the full extent of its capabilities.
He gave a small nod of acknowledgment to her words. "Those upgrades won't even give the Tuann pause. All they need is for you to get a little distance from the station and then one well-placed shot would have you dead in the water. They'd be able to board with little effort. Then you won’t have any control."
It wouldn't be as easy as that. Himoto had named several of the modifications, but not all. The fact he'd been able to name any was more disturbing than she had words for. It meant someone in Himoto's command had been keeping an eye on them, making a note of their purchases. She thought she'd left all that behind when she left Centcom.
The reason they probably didn't know about the rest was because they weren't kits. They were pieces and parts Kira and Jin had re-purposed or adapted from Tsavitee ships. There'd be no other way Himoto would know about their activities unless he had eyes in the ship, something she knew he didn't have.
"What do they want?" Kira asked in frustration. She found it hard to believe the Tuann would go through all this, threaten war, over her saving two kids.
He hesitated, indecisive.
"Himoto," Kira warned, not in the mood for his normal cloak and dagger games.
His eyes were piercing when they met hers. "They claim you're Tuann."
Kira's lips parted. Part of her felt frozen, like this was happening to someone else. Another part—the part she thought dead—felt a wild fluttering of hope, the thought of not being alone, of not being the only freak out there, taking wing. She firmly squashed it.
Even if by some odd, unlikely coincidence she did turn out to be Tuann, it didn't mean she was no longer alone. It just meant her freakishness now had a name.
She'd learned many hard lessons about the peril of letting hope run away with you. It was the ultimate liar, an illusion turning smart people into fools, sundering their hearts from their chests when hope inevitably crashed them against the rocky shore.
She didn't know these people, and couldn't even begin to guess their reasons for lying, but she hadn't survived this long by believing everything someone told her.
Jin drifted out of the shadows, his metal exterior gleaming dully. His presence returned her equilibrium, reminding her she was by no means on her own.
"What leads them to that conclusion?" Kira forced herself to ask, trying to be logical about it all.
He pointed to her wrist, before lifting it and turning it so the mark on it was exposed. "Do you know how you got this?"
She frowned at him. "You know the story. You were there when I was discovered."
Their beginning had started with blood and fire. Kira had been near death after doing her utmost to destroy the compound where she'd spent her entire life being tortured and experimented on. Himoto and his team had rescued her from all that, killing the group of scientists who had been trying to train Kira and the others to be the best monsters they could be. Children as young as three taught to fight and then beaten as their caretakers tried to mold them into living weapons.
She and a few others had attempted to escape. The resulting commotion had drawn the notice of the local branch of the military. When they'd investigated, they found Kira and a bunch of dead scientists and guards.
The mark preexisted all that. For as long as she could remember, she'd had it. It didn't match any symbol she’d been able to find. It was tempting to classify it as a birthmark, except the edges were too precise and the shape too detailed.
"Every Tuann I've met has something similar on their body." He drew back her sleeve, and she let him, watching with narrowed eyes, untrusting.
The mark he revealed was in the shape of three crescents over a circle, smaller lines joining some of the crescents.
"From what we can tell, it’s a declaration of their House and lineage."
Kira wasn't willing to believe him. "Humans have known about the Tuann for over a decade. How has no one put this together before now?"
He huffed at her. "You've been gone since the war ended. We knew very little about them then."
And they hadn't wanted to lose one of their aces. Kira had been a legend during the war. She had more Tsavitee kills than any other wave runner. Throw in her special abilities and she could see why Centcom kept knowledge of her to themselves.
She pulled her arm from him. "Sorry, Himoto, I have no interest in digging up the past. I like my life right now. Tell them they're about thirty years too late."
She gestured at Jin and stepped past Himoto.
"You know their weapons are more powerful than anything we have," Himoto warned.
"I'll take my chances."
She approached the airlock and the tube leading to her ship, Jin a silent presence next to her. For once, he kept his opinions to himself. A fact she was grateful for.
"Rothchild."
Kira froze, her hand half lifted, her insides icing over.
"You manipulative bastard," Jin swore.
"Do this for me, meet with them, and all debts are wiped clean," he bargained.
Kira remained where she was, staring at Himoto. She should have known he'd pull Rothchild out as a means to get her to do what he wanted. Her biggest mistake and her greatest victory.
"You don't have to listen to him, Kira," Jin said. His eye swung toward Himoto and narrowed. She could practically read his mind as he readied some of the nastier upgrades she'd given him—nothing that would kill, but it would hurt. A lot.
Kira's sigh was heavy, indecision weighing on her. "I'll meet with them. I'll hear what they have to say."
It was subtle, but she read the signs of relief in Himoto, a slight loosening of the shoulders, the muscles in his face relaxing.
She dropped into his native language, one from a time when humanity was as divided and f
ragmented as their loyalties. Standard might be the common language now but many kept the languages and traditions of their origin. Himoto was one of them.
"I do this and you never mention Rothchild to me again," she told him.
He gave her a sharp nod. "Done."
The words should have made her feel better. Somehow, they didn't.
Something shifted in the air, telling Kira they were no longer alone. She tensed, but didn't move as the mountain from the interrogation room stepped into view, the same severe expression as last time on his face. He stared at her as if she was a puzzle he didn't know if he wanted to bother solving.
She stared back, the same challenge in her eyes from their earlier encounter. Only this time he didn't seem inclined to move out of her way.
The men and women he'd had with him earlier appeared, one by one, almost as if they were ghosts, silent and deadly. There was no sound, nothing to precede their appearance. Simply, one moment it looked like the bay was clear of any but the three of them, then the next there were too many bodies taking up space.
Kira could see why people called them wizards.
It was disconcerting to have all their eyes on her, studying her like she was some alien artifact. Her back itched with the need for retreat.
She glanced at Himoto in question. When he'd said he wanted her to talk with them, she'd imagined in a room somewhere, not an ambush in front of her ship.
The corner of his mouth pulled up. "I did say you were unlikely to get far."
So, he had. She'd thought he meant from the station. Now she saw his words were more literal. It would have taken her several seconds to open the airlock and get down the tube to her ship. In that time, the Tuann would have been on her. She would have been forced to fight, which might have meant damage to the Wanderer.
It was better to do this here, where such things were unlikely.
A slight scrape of sound from behind alerted her to the fact someone had positioned themselves between her and her ship. It was so polite of them to announce their presence, Kira thought wryly.
Somehow, she wasn't surprised when she looked over her shoulder to see the male Tuann who'd chased her through the station, his female partner behind him.
His frown was fierce as he glowered at her. Guess he hadn't appreciated the exercise or being given the slip.
The woman's eyes danced with mirth as she graced Kira with a tiny smile, the only friendly expression among the Tuann.
Kira didn't react, turning to Himoto and the mountain. "I'm listening."
The admiral faced the Tuann's leader. "Lord Graydon, this is Kira Forrest. She's the woman you met previously and the one you claim is Tuann."
Kira noted the lack of her rank in that introduction. She didn't know if it was because of the circumstances behind her leaving Centcom and the military or if he was trying to give her an advantage in her interactions with these strangers. Knowing him, it could be both.
Graydon was silent as he observed Kira with a fierce reserve. His gaze lifted over her shoulder and he nodded at the man behind her.
The small movement was enough warning, allowing Kira to control her reaction, despite the instincts clamoring for her to defend herself, as the man stepped closer and grabbed her forearm. He turned it for all to see.
To Kira the mark didn't seem all that interesting. It had been with her as far back as her memories stretched.
A part of her had always suspected it was a brand her keepers had placed on her. She'd thought about having it removed a couple of times but something always stopped her. What if it was something her parents had given her? And even if it wasn't, it was a tangible symbol of the hell she'd survived.
As long as it remained, the tattoo was a reminder the things behind her were worse than anything she faced in the future. Sometimes, when her thoughts turned down dark paths, that was the only thing keeping her going, the promise of better times ahead.
Graydon said something in his own language, the sound fluid. The man holding her arm responded with a soft word.
Kira's gaze moved suspiciously between the two. It seemed Himoto hadn't been exaggerating when he said the Tuann recognized it. Still, it didn't mean anything.
These people were all considerably taller than her, their ears slightly pointed, with the type of bone structure humans found exceptionally pleasing to the eye. They looked human, but more.
Kira was just Kira. She had freaky eyes and other oddities but that was about it.
There was a sharp pulse of sensation from the man holding her, then her mark responded with warmth, shimmering briefly as it sent up an answering pulse.
She jerked away, the motion sharp and unexpected enough to free her from his implacable grip. Her posture was defensive as she glared at the man.
"What did you do to me?" she asked, a harsh edge to her tone.
He held up his hands and retreated a step. He said something in his lyrical language to Graydon. The two exchanged several words, Kira's suspicions steadily rising, before Graydon released a heavy sigh.
His expression soured. He grimaced before rubbing his face with one hand. The look he fixed on her was unhappy, as if he laid the blame for everything at her feet.
The man beside her let out a small chuckle before saying in his heavily accented standard, "The mark responded. She is Tuann."
Graydon turned toward Himoto, a severe expression on his face. "Your people are in violation of our treaty. We will be taking her and returning to our home. Expect a formal declaration terminating our alliance."
"I said I'd listen, not go anywhere with them," Kira protested.
The man beside her grabbed her shoulders, restraining her as the rest of the Tuann prepared to leave.
Jin floated higher, a high buzz emitting from him, weapons arming as he prepared to act.
She made an aborted attempt to struggle before forcing herself to stop. Not yet. Not while Himoto could talk sense into these people. Attacking now would make the already tense situation worse.
"Wait, Jin," she said softly as Himoto whirled on Graydon.
"Lord Graydon, we need to talk about this," Himoto said, his face calm and his words meticulously polite, despite the alarm Graydon's threat would have caused.
Graydon gave Himoto no more attention than he would a fly, snapping out orders to his people.
"Lord Graydon, Kira is a citizen of the Consortium. You may not remove her from our airspace without permission," Himoto said loudly.
"And you don't have it," Kira added—in case that helped.
Graydon spared her a dark look. She smiled, feeling a sense of accomplishment at his severe expression.
"However, as a member of our military, she can be ordered," Himoto said.
That wiped the smile from Kira's face as her gaze turned toward Himoto. "You wouldn't dare."
He sent her a warning glance, one that said he'd dare that and more. "We need this alliance, Kira."
"I'm retired. Your orders have no effect on me anymore."
He knew this. He was there when she told him she was done.
Himoto's eyes were dark pools as he turned to her, his feelings and thoughts carefully hidden. "Rear Admiral Skarsdale, if you please."
Jace stepped out from behind the shipping containers, several humans in the uniform of station security flanking him. He walked toward Kira after a long look at Himoto.
He handed her a thin tablet, the memo already pulled up.
Himoto explained as she read. "You never formalized your retirement. It gave us room to recall you to service. Your orders are included in that packet as well."
Kira felt a dull horror at his words. Jin drifted lower so he could read over her shoulder.
"Is he right?" she asked.
Jin had made a point of studying all the laws and regulations of the Consortium. It was easier to circumvent the system when you knew exactly what loopholes to employ.
"Yes."
The tablet dropped to her side as she glared a
t the ground. Damn it. What was the use of knowing every law and regulation out there if they got caught in the damn loopholes?
Jace's gaze was unsympathetic when she looked up, his face hard and closed. He probably thought she was getting her just desserts. She couldn't really blame him given the manner of their parting, but still, a wild feeling surged in her chest as the sense of being trapped closed in all around her.
It'd been a long time since she got that feeling. It used to be, anytime she stepped foot on a ship or space station she had to beat it back. Now, she was better, except she was struck by the urge to lash out until this nasty feeling in her chest was gone.
Seeing he had her right where he wanted her, Himoto said, "Kira won't be going anywhere without our say so."
The threat was clear. If Graydon continued to push to have the alliance dissolved, then Himoto would make it so his people never got their hands on her. She would feel more comforted by that if she didn't know Centcom would do anything to preserve the alliance.
Where the Haldeel were slightly condescending to the younger humans, they at least were helpful—there when they were most needed and willing to let humanity's best and brightest into their territories where they could study at places of learning and interact on a regular basis.
The Tuann, by contrast, seemed to want nothing to do with humans. They had only interfered under the most extreme circumstances during the war when the threat of casualties on their side were almost nonexistent or when the Tsavitee had strayed too closely to their borders. They didn't have time for humanity, and they made their disdain perfectly clear.
At least that's what Kira had picked up the rare times she was in port.
Unfortunately, the Tuann military were virtually unbeatable, and they were one of the few races to have held the Tsavitee off for longer than humans had been in space.
"You would risk war with the Tuann," Graydon said, a silky threat in his voice.
Himoto's smile was humorless. "I guess that depends on you."
Graydon looked at him carefully, as if Himoto had suddenly transformed from a gentle bunny into a spitting snake.
Kira was familiar with the feeling. Himoto possessed the rare gift of getting people to see him as almost harmless, while he manipulated them onto the path he wanted. He'd done it to her enough times in the past she could sometimes see the signs coming. Unfortunately, this wasn’t one of them.