by T. A. White
"There is one other who should be joining us shortly. I've included his name and details in the data packet."
The Haldeel checked over the information, nodding her approval. "Do you have a compatible device for the race packet?"
Kira nodded, holding up the thin Scroll Odin had given her.
The Haldeel's movements were quick as she transmitted the information, keeping up a running commentary. "You've been placed in bracket two oh four. The first qual of that bracket is in an hour. Each bracket will allow those with the top three times to advance to the next bracket. I've assigned you bay two hundred. Your items should be there by the time you reach it."
Her spiel finished, the Haldeel smiled at Kira. "May the tides favor you."
Kira bowed. "And you as well."
Kira set out at a brisk pace, Finn trailing behind her, keeping one eye on the humans.
Kira wasn't as concerned. Zepher wasn't stupid nor were they particularly brave.
If they planned on getting back at Kira for the small slap in the face she'd given them, they'd do so when they thought they could get away with it. Until then, she was safe.
Stepping through the doors was like stepping into another world. Those on the other side bustled back and forth, the bays a frenetic swarm of energy as they raced to finish last-minute adjustments.
The smell of oil and sweat filled the space. It was as familiar as it was comforting.
"This brings back memories," she said softly, the high-pitched hum of tools mixing with the shouts of the individual bays' occupants.
"It was a lot smaller then," Jin agreed.
Kira's lips quirked as she set off to search for their bay.
"Who would have ever thought our little hobby would grow to be such an event?"
Not Kira. That was for sure.
"You've competed before?" Finn asked.
Kira hummed in ascent. "You could say that."
"The Curs started the races," Jin volunteered.
It all started with a bet to see who was the best. From there, it had grown. Of course, by then, most of the original founders were already dead.
Kira competed every once in a while to keep her skills fresh, but it had been a few years since then. She doubted anyone would remember her. It was why she had taken a chance and used her alias from during the war and after it.
Sadness pulled at her. There was more than one reason she stopped racing.
"You going to be all right?" Jin asked.
Kira walked with renewed purpose. "Why wouldn't I be?"
Jin made a sound that said he wasn't convinced, but he didn't pry.
"This is our bay," Jin said.
From the stands outside, they could hear the roar of the crowd over the rumble of the waveboards.
Their bay stood empty except for two pallets in the center of the room. Kira caught sight of basic mechanic tools and a workbench along the wall.
Most of the surrounding bays had their privacy screens up. The thin, electric field rendered anything on the other side invisible.
Jin barely waited for Kira and Finn to step inside before activating their own shield.
He zipped out from under her hood without waiting for permission.
"Someone's happy," Kira commented, watching him zoom around the room.
"Wouldn't you be if you were cooped up inside a tiny space for hours?" he asked.
Spotting the pallets, he zoomed toward them, hovering over the nearest one. "Let's see what goodies Odin got for us."
A small laser cut through the packaging, exposing the contents inside.
Jin made approving noises as he went through the items, lifting them out with his antigravs one by one.
"How are we looking?" Kira asked.
"Not bad. I don't see anything missing," Jin said.
Most of the items, including her board and the tools needed to maintain its functions, came from the Wanderer.
Odin had been responsible for ordering the odds and ends they needed while Kira and Jin were in transport.
A small mask flew through the air.
Kira caught it before it hit her face.
"What do you think?" Jin asked.
She held it up, examining it carefully. Its surface was white with two broken red lines carved vertically on the right third.
Kira held it up to her face, satisfied when it sealed to her skin. A holo screen appeared in front of her eyes.
[Connect]
Kira blinked once in yes. A bright pinpoint of light pierced her right eye as the lens there communicated with the system of the mask.
The transition was smooth.
Information such as temperature, air pressure, and humidity levels scrolled across the display.
Kira took a look around the room, getting used to the headset. Small screens with additional information popped up. Heat signatures flared and then waned as she dismissed the functions one by one.
She shook her head back and forth, up and down. The mask didn't budge.
Good. Exactly what she was hoping for.
She touched the sides, and the seal released, allowing her to pull it away from her face.
"Pretty nice," she said.
Jin snickered. "That's a best-in-class, ocular interface. We're talking a top-grade warning system, complete with some of the most advanced radar there is. Only the military or maybe assassins would have anything better. If someone farts a mile away, this thing will warn you."
Kira lowered the mask. "And to think, all I wanted was something to keep my identity a secret."
Jin snorted. "Why would we limit ourselves to obscurity when we could reach for greatness? I have to say, I'm a little impressed Odin could dig that up."
So was Kira. Items like this weren't exactly common.
It made Kira wonder where her hacker friend had found it.
Finished with the first pallet, Jin moved to the second. He sifted through the material exposing a board the color of onyx. It was an older model, one not often seen in races like this. A remnant of a past she rarely dwelt on.
Her preference would have been to leave the board gathering dust in the Wanderer, but time constraints had left it as their only option.
Jin lifted the board out of its packaging and gently set it on the workbench. "Hello, old friend."
Most novice racers wouldn't consider using a board as old as this. They preferred the newer, flashier models with the latest technology. Many of them would switch out their boards numerous times over the years.
That had always been a mistake, Kira felt.
The technology for waveboards didn't really change all that much from model to model. Sure, the bells and whistles would get fancier, but the core of the board remained the same.
Most inexperienced riders never realized it was the drive chain in the board that was the true decider.
A rider could spend years of trial and error adapting and developing a base model drive chain to optimize its strengths.
The more poetic racers likened the drive chain to the board's soul. Without it, the board was a hunk of metal with a few tricks up its sleeve.
Kira's had been with her for nearly two decades—almost since the moment she first stepped onto a board. She didn't have the patience or time to train and tinker with a new drive chain.
"We're going to have to make adjustments based on your new stats," Jin said, already lifting off the under panel to get at the board's innards. "Do you want to make the adjustments or shall I?"
Kira palmed the handheld that would allow her to access the heart of the drive chain. "I'll do it."
Jin made way for her, allowing Kira to take his place.
She removed the layers between her and the drive chain one by one, finally stopping when she reached the glowing ball of golden light. Inside danced countless strands that almost looked like the twisted double helix of DNA.
Kira hummed as she took a look, pressing on one strand before moving to the next.
The entire time
Jin hovered over her shoulder. "You're doing it wrong."
"I'm not doing it wrong." Kira made another adjustment.
"I'm pretty sure you are."
Kira closed her eyes, counting to ten.
This was what she got for having a best friend who was also a drone. He was even more of a know-it-all than her.
"Would you like to do it?"
"I thought you'd never asked." Jin shoved his smaller body into the spot she'd been occupying, forcing her away.
The tools she held levitated out of her hand as Jin took over.
"Don't forget to account for the fluctuations in atmospheric pressure," she instructed.
"Yeah, yeah. I got it. Why don't you go review the stats of your opponents?" Jin grumbled.
Kira lingered long enough to thoroughly irritate Jin before making her way toward one of the tables.
Much as she hated to admit it, Jin was probably better at reconfiguring the drive chain.
"Nervous?" Finn asked as she hopped onto the table behind him.
Kira lay down, stretching out and closing her eyes. "Why would I be nervous?"
Finn didn't look up as he continued to check over his weapons. He was methodical, examining every inch of them before moving on to the next.
"The stakes are high and from the sound of things, it's been awhile since you've raced. Such things would be considered normal."
Kira let out a small scoff. "There's not a whole lot that is normal about me."
Finn hummed softly, finishing with the en-dagger he held, storing it in his synth armor, before picking up another.
"That Dragon Circuit—those humans and Haldeel seemed to find it impressive."
Kira gazed unseeing at the bare bones of the ceiling above her. The bays were temporary constructs for the quorum. There was little need for frills, and the architects had left the structure of the building exposed.
"That race is little more than suicide to those who decide to compete," she finally said after several moments.
Finn paused in his actions.
Kira waited, but no questions came.
Finn resumed polishing his dagger as if she hadn't said anything.
Her lips quirked. Smart. If he'd pressed, she'd likely have clammed up. Since he didn't, he left it up to her whether to continue or not.
Her first instinct was to suppress the memories, but something stopped her. Perhaps it was being here again in an unfamiliar place that still managed to feel familiar.
"The Curs were the first to pair waveboards and racing." Kira made herself more comfortable on the table. "That's not to say someone somewhere wouldn't have eventually come up with the idea."
It was a given that any new mode of transport would eventually give way to the act of then racing it. The mentality was as natural to humans as breathing.
The Curs couldn’t help but pit themselves against each other to see who was the best.
"They always were competitive little shits,” Kira murmured.
Eventually, the races became a morale booster for the rest of the military and the populations of the planets they raced on. It helped that it also provided a way to give the Curs a mental break from the rigors of war while also further sharpening their skills.
Quiet fell again as Kira closed her eyes.
"The Dragon Circuit isn't a race you undertake lightly. It has a mortality rate of sixty percent."
Some of that was the difficulty of the race itself. The rest was the competitive nature of the sport. It wasn't unheard of for teams to sabotage each other. Even during the race, it was considered acceptable to dethrone a rider—which was a fancy way of saying you knocked them off their board.
Only in that race the surroundings were highly dangerous, making it difficult for the safeties to react in time. Lose your board and chances were you wouldn't survive.
"I was a different person then." One who didn't care if she lived or died. "The me of today wouldn't be so reckless."
As promises went, it was weak.
Kira didn't like to think of those days. Revealing some of it to Finn was an apology of sorts for the current situation.
She knew he didn't exactly approve. Still, he didn't try to strongarm her or talk her out of her plan. It showed a flexibility she hadn't thought possible in the Tuann.
It was something to consider for the future.
*
"Let's go over the plan again." Jin floated in front of Kira as the three of them made their way to the race's starting point. There were a half-dozen other racers in the tunnel, but none were paying attention to her party. "What position are you going to come in?"
"Second or third," she answered, barely resisting the urge to roll her eyes.
Jin bobbed in a nod. "Very good. I want you to remember that. Second or third. Not fourth or fifth and definitely not first."
Kira listened to Jin's spiel with a bored expression. This wasn't the first time he'd said this, nor was it the second.
He was beginning to sound like a broken record.
"Now, what did I say?" he asked.
"Not any position but second or third," she repeated by rote.
"Good. You've got it. Don't even think about coming in first."
"Don't you think it could be fun," Kira said suddenly.
Jin choked. "No. No, I don't think it would be fun."
Kira looked in Finn's direction. "How about you?"
The upraised hood made him seem even more mysterious than normal, hiding his expression and making him impossible to read. "It would be an interesting sight to be sure."
"See, Jin. Finn doesn't mind first place."
"I don't care what he thinks or how bored you are. We have a plan; stick to it."
The "or else" went unsaid.
Kira eyed the drone. "Sometimes I really wonder how you see me."
Did he really expect she'd do anything to jeopardize the mission?
"Without tinted glasses of any sort," Jin retorted in a flat voice.
Kira snickered. She really couldn't argue with that.
"I'm warning you, Kira."
She flapped a hand at him. "Yes, yes, master. I hear and understand."
"Good," Jin grunted as they approached the end of the tunnel.
Kira grabbed Jin before he could exit.
"What are you doing?" he cried.
Kira didn't answer, instead facing Finn. He let her grab his shoulder to force him to bend. She reached up and stuffed Jin in his hood.
Finished, she patted Jin on his casing. "You have to stay hidden. Remember?"
Jin sputtered. "You can't—This is—Kira, I object to this treatment!"
Wails issued from the depths of Finn's hood as Kira continued walking, stepping out of the tunnel, and squinting at the bright light that greeted her.
A small expanse of dirt stretched in front of her, ending at the feet of the audience stands.
At one end was the starting line, racers congregating as they waited for the officials. Their postures were relaxed as they threw taunts back and forth.
That wasn't what caused Kira's abrupt halt. "Why are they here?"
A sea of synth armor took up the stands. Roake's midnight blue intermixed with Luatha's forest greens. Their colors dominated the stands.
Even more concerning was the small clump of people located in the front center wearing synth armor so deep a black it seemed to eat the light.
Worst of all was the man sitting in their midst, an arrogant expression on his face as he surveyed the proceedings.
Graydon.
And right beside him was Raider.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
They weren’t supposed to be here. She’d thought if anything they’d attend one of the more popular events. The ones that involved swords or fighting.
They couldn’t know about her, right? She’d been so careful.
Then again, Jace had found her. Who was to say Graydon hadn’t also?
Coincidences made her itchy inside. None more so t
han when a certain Emperor’s Face turned up somewhere he wasn’t supposed to be.
Thank every god that ever existed she'd had the foresight to procure a mask. If he didn’t already know she was here, then the mask might allow her to slip away unnoticed.
Jin cackled, the sound strange as it issued from the depths of Finn's hood, not fitting his mysterious aura at all.
"It’s like fate is drawing you two together,” Jin teased.
Kira's fingers tingled with the urge to take a swipe at him. If not for their audience, she would have done exactly that.
"They can't know about us yet, right?" she asked Finn.
Finn's head lifted as he considered those in the stands. "It's hard to say what the Emperor's Face is capable of."
Kira debated the likelihood that Graydon had tailed her from the station. Jace had managed to find her. It wasn't outside the realm of possibility that Graydon had done the same.
Granted, Jace and Himoto had years of familiarity with Kira's habits, but she wasn't about to put anything past Graydon. The man had managed to surprise her in the past.
Even if Graydon hadn't known where to look for her, Raider would, and he was likely angry enough at Kira to help the Tuann beside him.
"It's possible he's here for Devon," Finn said after some thought.
“And Luatha?”
Finn shook his head. “Your guess is as good as mine.”
The temptation to withdraw from the competition was strong. Too bad doing so would ruin her plans.
Kira frowned as she caught sight of Joule, Ziva, and Rheya seated beside Raider as they watched the race preparations with interested faces. They looked up as Devon joined them seconds later.
"Raider is competing," Jin said abruptly. "His status as a Cur and previous wins allow him to skip the quals and appear in the final races."
That explained his presence at least. Raider was the careful sort. She could see him gathering information on his potential opponents before the main event.
It wasn’t outside the realm of possibility that Roake and Graydon’s oshota had attended to see Raider and Devon race.
If that was the case, they weren’t here because they knew of her presence.
It was all a massive coincidence—or so she tried to tell herself.
"Stick to the plan, and we should be fine—probably."
It was that probably that gave Kira concern.