Threshold of Annihilation

by T. A. White

  Kira very much doubted it was actually Elise they'd caught, but she couldn't take the chance she was wrong.

  Lieven gave her a probing look, no doubt sensing some of her feelings. "We can discuss that tomorrow night at the banquet."

  In other words, unless she attended, she could forget setting up a meeting with the culprit.

  Well played, Lieven. Well played.

  With that, he strode in the wake of the rest, leaving Kira standing with a bunch of Tuann who had a plethora of questions she didn't want to answer.

  Graydon's warm palm landed on the small of her back as he guided her in the opposite direction, his oshota and Wren falling in around them. Raider trailed in their wake.

  Graydon leaned close. "I think you owe us some of those answers now."

  Kira didn't answer for several steps.

  "Not here. This isn't the sort of thing that can be discussed in such a public setting."

  Not when it came to matters as delicate as this.

  "Later then."

  Left with no choice, Kira nodded.

  The inflexible set of Graydon's jaw told her arguing at this stage would only hurt her cause.

  She only hoped they delayed the interrogation until she'd rid herself of the remnants of the lu-ong’s saliva.

  *

  To Kira's eternal regret, her worst fear played out.

  She'd barely stepped inside the Tuann residence when she was intercepted by Yukina.

  "With me now."

  Yukina had already swept away before Kira could open her mouth.

  Seeing the frustration on her face, Graydon smirked as if to say she had only herself to blame.

  Kira narrowed her eyes at him, dragging one hand down her leg before slapping it on his shoulder and rubbing.

  Graydon's lip curled in faint disgust.

  What could she say? Fucking with others always put her in a better mood.

  Kira dragged her eyes up and down his body, ignoring his wide chest and clearly defined muscles, as if to say he didn't have much room to complain.

  He was covered with saliva from his earlier embrace with Kira. Granted, not to the same extent as Devon and her, but he was by no means pristine.

  Amila and Solal smothered their grins at the interchange.

  Graydon recovered quickly, lifting an eyebrow as if to ask if she was brave enough to keep Yukina waiting.

  It turned out the answer was no—but Kira had no intention of telling him that.

  Instead, she sauntered in Yukina's wake, not commenting as the Emperor's Face led her upstairs and through several hallways before arriving at a door located a fair distance from the entrance.

  Kira slogged inside the room Yukina had chosen, trying to ignore the thick and clingy substance that had somehow managed to work itself under her armor.

  She stood awkwardly in a corner, not wanting to dirty the pristine monochromatic furniture as Graydon, the oshota Kira was pretty sure wasn't an oshota, and Wren entered.

  Devon tried to follow but found his way blocked by Graydon.

  "You should get cleaned up."

  Devon's alarmed gaze found Kira. "I'm your yer’se. Shouldn't I be present?"

  "Perhaps next time."

  Raider slipped through as Graydon shut the door in Devon's face.

  Yukina pointed at him. "Leave."

  "Raider stays," Kira corrected. "He needs to hear this too."

  Yukina pressed her lips together as her eyes flashed. "Only if he swears to keep anything he hears from the Consortium."

  Raider threw himself into a seat, his expression that of a cat who'd just swallowed the canary. "What kind of person would I be if I promised to keep important intel from my own people? Would you trust such an individual?"

  The answer was no, and they all knew it.

  Someone capable of betraying their own kind once could be convinced to do it again.

  Before anyone could raise an argument, Raider waved a lazy hand. "But I will tell you I've been instructed not to share anything I learn unless it directly pertains to the security of the Consortium."

  The room fell quiet as all eyes turned to him.

  Even Kira regarded him with a somber expression.

  "There's a power struggle in the Consortium," Graydon guessed as he joined them, finding a seat across from Raider.

  Yukina and the rest remained standing.

  Raider didn't speak, but then, he didn't have to. The cause was clear.

  If Himoto had given that order, it was because he feared any information Raider gleaned would fall into the wrong hands.

  Better for everyone if it didn't make its way to the Consortium's ears at all.

  "Who is the rebel faction?" Graydon asked.

  Raider regarded him with a lazy expression.

  "Zepher is leading it, if I was to guess," Kira supplied, not looking away from Raider.

  His smirk said she was on point.

  "Kent is part of the faction," Kira went on.

  Another twitch of his eyebrows; another confirmation.

  Kira rubbed her forehead. Such twisted webs Himoto wove.

  "I'm willing to set the issue of the Consortium aside, but you will explain your history with the Haldeel," Yukina said with a direct stare.

  Jin hummed. "Someone is a little confident. If we didn't know better, that would sound like a threat."

  Yukina's stare turned arctic. "That's because it is."

  Jin whistled. "Kira, pay attention. I think we're going to learn some things."

  Kira's mouth quirked but she refrained from commenting. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't a little curious about what this so-called threat entailed.

  Yukina’s gaze moved between them. "You think I'm bluffing? I'm not. I've worked for years to foster a relationship with the Haldeel. I'm not going to let you jeopardize that."

  Jin let out a guffaw. "Hate to break it to you, but the Haldeel see you as a distant acquaintance, nothing more."

  The pupils of Yukina's eyes dilated as the air around her body got colder. "Test me and I'll have you sent to the Manth sector. You'll do nothing but chase pirates for the rest of your lives."

  Dead silence came after her words.

  "Kira!" Jin whispered.

  "No."

  "But—"

  "Don't do it," Kira warned.

  Jin made a sound as high pitched as a tea kettle as his spherical body vibrated with excitement. "Pirate hunters. We're going to be pirate hunters."

  Damn it. She'd lost him.

  Jin bobbed up and down, looking like a jack in the box. "I never say this, but be yourself, Kira, and we can realize our lifelong dream."

  Jin screamed to himself as he careened in a circle. "We'll get a big fancy hat and an artificial leg. This is going to be great.

  Kira tilted her face up to the ceiling and sighed.

  She knew the reasoning behind Jin's overblown antics was to draw attention away from her. He was an old hat at playing the fool to give her space to work unobstructed.

  Perfect teamwork as always—except for one thing.

  There were those in this room who easily saw through their schemes.

  "Quit teasing her," Wren ordered.

  Just like that, Jin settled down, turning serious in an instant. "Fine, but next time, if you're going to threaten someone at least make it something they fear."

  To Yukina's credit, she was able to ignore Jin's distraction, instead focusing on Kira. "What is between you and that royal?"

  "I'm curious to know as well," the oshota next to her said.

  Graydon stretched one arm across the back of the couch. “You were somehow involved in her Ascension, weren’t you?”

  Yukina collapsed onto the opposite end of the couch from Graydon, some of her arrogance dimming.

  “I don’t know if I’d go that far,” Kira started.

  “If we were, we had no idea,” Jin added.

  At the dubious looks that asked how that was possible, Kira said defensivel
y, “When we knew her, Tierni wasn’t royal.”

  Yukina reclaimed some of her poise. “We’re listening.”

  “I don’t know if you realize, but Tierni is blind,” Kira started. “She was born with a rare genetic mutation. Essentially the optic fibers that pass through the back of the retina didn’t develop in a way to translate sight.”

  “I’ve heard of this. Only one in several million are born with this condition,” Yukina said. “Tierni caused quite the stir during her Ascension. Most born with the mutation are given to the Vertier order to raise.”

  “Yeah, I’ve met some of that order.” Kira’s lip curled as she snorted, scorn and derision written on her face. “They’re little more than exploitative assholes.”

  The order was considered sacred among the Haldeel. Those who joined were kept cloistered, spending their time in meditation and service—at least that was what was written on the brochure.

  Those of the Vertier that Kira had encountered were little more than abusers and bullies, content to prey on those who’d been entrusted to them for their own greedy purposes.

  “Not all. I’ve known many who embodied the ideals of the order,” Yukina murmured. “But what you said is true enough. There are some who abuse their position at the expense of those who rely on them.”

  “When we first met Tierni, she was on the run after her creche gave her over to them,” Kira said.

  On a human world, the act held some similarities to adoption. Only instead of being able to age out of their care, she’d be a permanent dependent. The order would assume responsibility and authority over her for the rest of her life whether she wished it or not.

  “Lieven got her out, and the two were on the run until we—"

  "Excuse me," Jin interrupted.

  "I," Kira corrected, “interfered.”

  "She means to say she picked a fight with the order," Jin said in a chipper voice.

  Kira grimaced. That was an accurate assessment.

  A million ways she could have handled it and she’d chosen the most explosive.

  It was about half a year after she'd woken up from a several years long coma. The war was over. Her remaining friends scattered, most of whom no longer held favorable views of Kira.

  She still hadn’t known about Elena, Jin judging her mental state as too fragile.

  To say she was looking for a place to die wouldn't be out of line. The only thing that kept her from doing anything she couldn’t take back was the knowledge of how her fallen friends would be disappointed in her if she took the quick way out.

  "I was occupying myself in the gauntlet of the stratagem." It was a series of round-robin challenges. It wasn’t usually considered deadly unless you were on a perimeter planet not exactly known for having peacekeepers of any sort.

  Kira's smile was self-deprecating. "I ran across Tierni and Lieven there."

  "And you interfered," Graydon guessed.

  Kira nodded. "You could say that."

  "If by interfere, you mean she scuttled two chariots in the process," Jin added.

  Kira sent him a cool look.

  "What? They said they wanted the truth," Jin argued.

  Kira shook her head, aware of how the rest of them stared at her like she’d sprouted two heads.

  "I didn't know a Haldeel chariot could be destroyed. That class of ship is said to be indestructible,” Wren said.

  "Not if you work from the inside,” Jin said. “And if you want to get technical about it, we only destroyed one. The second simply got too close to the first."

  Jin said it like it was no big deal, but they’d barely escaped with their lives.

  The chariot class ship had earned its reputation. Both had belonged to a faction in the Vertier order. When they’d taken Tierni, Kira had gone and gotten her out.

  She’d bitten off a little more than she could chew, but the ending had worked out, even if it was a bit flashy for Kira’s tastes.

  “I don’t know how she ended up a royal or when her Ascension was,” Kira confessed.

  That hadn’t been anywhere on their radar then.

  After they’d destroyed the ships, they left Tierni and Lieven somewhere safe and skedaddled for fear the Haldeel would try to arrest them for wanton destruction of property.

  Yukina’s head lifted. “Eight years ago? In the Fieri sector?”

  Enlightenment filled Graydon's expression. "If I remember correct, wasn't that the source of a minor scandal?"

  Yukina’s stare drilled into Kira. “Yes, a Haldeel higher echelon family was caught trying to pass the offspring of a distant branch as a candidate for the Ascension using the scores of another.”

  Yukina’s lips curled in a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “When the deception was discovered, the child responsible for those results deposed the imposter. It was a bloody affair, I’m told.”

  That would explain Tierni’s current position—and perhaps some of why Kira and Jin weren’t arrested for their actions.

  “Your royal made quite the splash on her return. Her first act was reforming the laws around the Vertier,” Yukina added.

  “She’s garnered a reputation since her Ascension,” Torvald said, sounding approving.

  Yukina's stare drilled into Kira. "You’re lucky you didn’t die. The Vertier has a warrior sect within it."

  “I’m aware,” Kira said.

  They’d sent those warriors after Tierni and Lieven. Never again did she want to face a Haldeel in battle.

  "What could have possessed you to be so reckless?" Wren asked.

  Kira lifted a shoulder. "It involved a child."

  For her, that was the only reason that mattered.

  She could never walk away from a child who needed her help. It was a weakness she knew the Tsavitee might one day try to take advantage of. Even so, she had no desire to fix the chink in her armor. It was what made all the rest bearable. It made her feel clean.

  Ignoring Tierni’s situation had been impossible—especially in those days.

  Raider stretched one arm across his armchair and leaned back. "You found Tsavitee meddling, didn't you?"

  "There was the suggestion of their hand in the mix," Kira allowed. "No proof however."

  Just her gut feeling.

  While the Tsavitee gave the appearance of defeat after the war, it was a cover to launch a much more insidious attack—one that sought to take advantage of the fact everyone believed them gone.

  "It's obvious from the royal that whatever Kira's actions, they were seen as legitimate by the Haldeel," Yukina said after a projected silence. "We have no reason to reject their invitation to tomorrow’s banquet. Kira will attend with the rest of those who’ve distinguished themselves today so as not to insult our hosts."

  She sent a hard look in Kira's direction. "There will be no surprises during this banquet. No fights, no scuttling of ships. Nothing. Am I clear?"

  Kira really wanted to know exactly what sort of person Yukina thought she was. It was almost like the Emperor's Face didn't trust her.

  Seeing Kira didn't have an argument, Yukina flicked her fingers toward the door and sat back. "You're dismissed."

  Kira excused herself, Raider following.

  Kira headed toward the room Auralyn had shown her to last night.

  Two corridors later she finally looked at the man at her side. "Is there a reason you're shadowing me?"

  Raider stuck his hands in his pockets. "Just waiting."

  "For what?"

  "To see if you'll keep your side of the bargain."

  Kira's footsteps came to a halt as she watched him out of the corner of her eye. "It looks like there's no need for that since you already know."

  Raider smirked but said nothing else.

  Seeing Elena rocket around the corner, Kira started toward her. "No matter what, make sure you're on the station tomorrow night."

  Raider sent her a startled glance. "You have a plan?"

  Kira made a mmm of agreement.

 
"Will it start a war?" he asked.

  "Don't be ridiculous. Even I know better than that."

  Seeing Elena's suspicious gaze as she slowed in front of them, Kira reached out to ruffle her hair only for her niece to duck away with an expression of disgust.

  Kira's hand froze in midair as she stared at it, feeling a similar repulsion. It wasn't that she'd forgotten she was covered in saliva—it was far too repulsive for her to do that—but she'd put it on the backburner until seeing Elena's expression.

  "I'll leave the two of you to get caught up. I'm going to get a shower," Kira said.

  Kira walked away. Despite her assurance to Raider, Kira wasn't entirely sure what she'd do if the Haldeel rejected her offer. One thing was for sure—she wasn't leaving the station until she talked to the woman who wore Elise’s face.

  TWENTY

  AN HOUR LATER, Kira climbed out of the shower. Steam escaped from the stall, curling around her body as she reached for one of the fluffy towels on the counter.

  Her motions were quick as she dried off.

  She paused as she caught her blurred reflection in the mirror. The condensation that had formed distorted Kira's image, veiling her features until they were indistinct.

  With one smooth movement, she wiped the moisture away.

  Her eyes stared at her. Penetrating and deep. Their color hard to pin down. They were a shade between gray and purple, seeming to change based on her mood and clothing.

  Once upon a time, those eyes had set her apart, making her feel like a freak.

  Then she met those from House Luatha and found out they weren't that original after all.

  Strange how things had changed in such a short time.

  What had set her apart was now something, if not ordinary, at least not unique.

  "Not alone anymore," Kira told her reflection.

  Her gaze dropped to Luatha's mark on her forearm, three crescents over a circle with smaller lines joining those crescents.

  The mark of her mother's people.

  She rubbed a thumb over the band of tattoos rimming each wrist, only the inhibitor she wore hindering her movements.

  The Overlord bands. The mark of her father's people. At least one of them anyway.

  Kira raised her head. "One more night."

  Time and the full strength of the Haldeel royal guard were all that separated her from answers.