12. Twelve

Twelve

Kira – Haldeel Abandoned Planet

An hour later Kira slammed her hands down on the console in frustration. "Why isn’t this working?"

Since sitting down, she’d gotten nowhere. Every attempt to penetrate the computer system in charge of the ship’s controls—things like piloting, navigation, and life support—had been rejected. It left her stuck firmly at square one with no path forward.

She didn’t think this was a problem of time either. One hour. Two. It would make no difference. She could try for the next five days and be no better off.

"You won’t be able to access that. Pallas thought you might try so he locked the system down before he left."

Kira’s hands clenched, her only reaction to the unexpected intrusion as she shot the J1N a narrow eyed look. "Seriously? No warning at all that we’re about to have company?"

The J1N spun, his ’eye’ ending up pointing somewhere in the vicinity of the ceiling. "The owner of the ship has returned. This can no longer be classified as a salvage operation. I cannot be of any further service to you."

Kira slumped in her chair. "Don’t worry—you were never ’of service.’"

"What’s wrong with your friend?" the intruder asked, venturing further into the room.

Kira leaned her head against the chair. "Where should I start?"

The question was rhetorical, giving her time to think. Kira never expected to see the wanderer she’d met during the adva ka again. As helpful as he’d been, he wasn’t high on her list of people to keep track of.

But maybe that was her antisocial nature coming out to play.

"I guess Pallas really is your seon’yer," she observed.

The wanderer ventured further into the room. Unlike the last time they’d met, there was no hood with weird shadows to obscure his features. Like all Tuann, he looked deceptively young. His ears pointed and his age somewhere in his early twenty’s human-wise. Older than Devon but not by much.

He had white blond hair that was short except for two braided locks that hung near his temple. His hazel eyes were striking against his darker skin tone. The contrast made his appearance memorable.

Kira now understood why he’d chosen to use a cloak and hood during the adva ka. His face was the type you didn’t forget. For someone like him who drifted along the edges of society, that could be dangerous.

It was better to keep a low profile until he had the power and strength to protect himself.

His armor was of Tuann origin. It had been repaired so many times throughout the years that it looked like a patchwork quilt. The result of being on his own in a violent universe with no House to protect him or proper resources with which to fix his armor.

Still, she could see the care that had gone into maintaining it. Likely hours of intense work to get his welds perfect.

"You doubted me?"

Kira shrugged, restlessly swiveling the chair back and forth. "Don’t take it personally. My history with Pallas makes it hard to see him as any sort of mentor."

Unless he was teaching someone how to be the most extreme and crazy person in any room they walked into. Pallas would be perfect for that.

There was a trill from the hallway. A second later a creature the size of a small cat glided into the room. It landed on the wanderer’s shoulder, hooking its claws into the collar of his armor and hugging his neck with its tail. From its perch, it regarded Kira through eyes the color of gemstones.

"Hello, little one," Kira greeted with a soft smile.

A series of whistles came from the lenacht. A greeting.

In Tuann, lenacht meant blessing. The Mea’Ave’s blessing. They were born only once in a great while, for the purpose of going out into the universe. A seed, ferried by their chosen guardian. In this case the man in front of her.

He would convey the lenacht to a destination of its choosing where it would then take root to become a new Mea’Ave. The source of the Tuann’s strength.

Strangely, Kira was a quasi-god parent to the lenacht. If the wanderer fell or was unable to continue in his duties for some reason, Kira would be the one to step in and pick up his mantle.

"The last time I saw you, you had just turned yourself into millions of sparkling lights before diving into his body," Kira said conversationally.

At least, that’s what had seemed to happen.

Currently, the lenacht was a lot more solid-looking. Crimson danced along its paws and the horns on its head. The rest of its body was a whitish blue. Its lower half similar to a lu-ong’s with no back paws. Just a serpent-like tail that it thrapped against the wanderer’s chest in happiness.

The wanderer cupped the lenacht’s body, shifting it higher on his shoulder to a position that was more stable. "Using me as a temporary host after its birth was necessary for it to gather strength. As long as it is in a healthy state, it will remain in this form."

The lenacht nuzzled the wanderer’s cheek.

"It’s Lathan." At her questioning look, he added, "My name. I’m assuming you didn’t know."

"I didn’t ask."

Mostly because she didn’t care. He seemed like a nice enough person. Or as nice as someone apprenticed to Pallas and fighting for survival could be. But Kira’s attention span was finite. Particularly in times of crisis. She only had so much to spare for people and things that didn’t directly affect her or her goals.

That’s just how it was.

To say nothing of the fact that names held a certain significance. Attaching a name to a person meant you knew them on some level. It made it more real when something bad happened to them.

Kira had more realness in her life right now than she could handle. She wasn’t looking to add to it.

"No, I suppose you didn’t," Lathan agreed, showing no offense at her rejection.

Well, well. Wasn’t he just the understanding sort?

Lathan patted the lenacht absentmindedly. "I didn’t expect to see you here so soon. I thought the meeting would take longer."

Kira’s body tensed. "You know about the forty three?"

His status as Pallas’s yer’se was just barely within the realm of possibility. Just barely. She could picture Pallas picking up an apprentice from some back alley somewhere and taking him for his own.

To apprise him of matters pertaining to the forty three? No. Nuh uh.

If true, it would make Pallas the biggest hypocrite alive. All the shit he’d given her. The threats if she ever told the Curs about them. Then for him to turn around and bring a stranger to their super-secret meeting.

She’d kill him. Maybe not in reality. But in her head. Over and over again. In increasingly creative ways.

"Enough to not understand why you’re here, trying to steal this ship, rather than with your adoptive family."

Kira relaxed, lounging in the captain’s chair as if it was her own. "Let’s just say, my relationship with the forty three is a little complicated. We have history."

A long, fucked up history similar to that which biological siblings might have shared.

"You’re angry with them," Lathan guessed, moving closer.

"You could say that."

She was also disappointed and hurt.

For some reason, she kept hoping that the forty three would act like the siblings they named themselves as. And every time they did something like this, she was reminded of how vast the chasm between them really was.

Kira was aware she wasn’t being entirely rational or fair. After all, she still hadn’t apprised them of Jin’s predicament or what it could mean for Kira.

Maybe it would have mattered. Maybe it wouldn’t have.

Damn it, Elena alone should have been enough to compel them to action. She shouldn’t have to drag Jin’s name into this to get them to see reason.

"Pallas advises me not to allow emotion to blind myself to reality," Lathan said.

She gave him a sardonic smile. "Does he now?"

How very ironic.

"How did you two meet, anyway?" Kira asked, curious.

"Is that relevant?"

"Not really."

Whatever the story was, it didn’t seem like Lathan wanted to share. Kira’s gaze dropped to the lenacht curled around his neck. Its wings fluttered at her attention. "Aren’t you supposed to be finding this little one a home?"

"Lenacht roam until they find a place suitable for their needs. That could take decades. A century or more in some cases."

"I see," Kira said, staring at the lenacht.

It wasn’t lost on her that she felt significantly better. Its very presence doing the same thing her garden oasis had. Offering her respite and healing simply by existing.

No wonder the Tsavitee’s masters had wanted to get their hands on one. They were a valuable panacea that the masters would wish to exploit for their own purposes.

There was a clatter from under one of the consoles.

Kira and Lathan looked over to find the J1N caught underneath, struggling to find its way out despite the opening right next to him.

"Are you sure he’s okay?" Lathan asked.

"Internal glitches. Nothing to worry about."

Lathan didn’t look like he believed that lie as Kira fished the J1N out from under the console, tossing him into the air.

The J1N dropped, almost hitting the ground before his anti gravs caught him.

"Ah, good. You’ve introduced yourselves to one another already," Pallas said, striding into the room. "That saves us time."

An incomprehensible series of squawks, bleats, and oddly the grinding of gears, issued from the J1N a second before a shrill alarm started.

"Enemy detected. Kill on sight authorized."

The J1N’s primary weapons whined as they charged in preparation to fire.

Pallas gave the drone an incredulous look. "Is he seriously targeting me?"

Kira lunged out of her chair. "Don’t you dare. J1N, abort. Abort now! Authorization not granted!"

The siren’s wail almost drowned out Kira’s words.

"Do not hurt him, Pallas," Kira shouted just as the J1N fired its primary laser.

Pallas thrust a hand forward, a sheet of black ki blocking the laser in midair. A bang shook the room.

Kira snatched the J1N out of the air, maintaining her grip on it despite its struggles as she backed away.

Fury tightened Pallas’s features as he reached slowly for the sword on his back.

"I wouldn’t," Graydon said, holding his en-blade to Pallas’s neck. "It would be a shame if I had to kill you right after the agreement your siblings and I just made."

Pallas went still. "You wouldn’t dare."

"Threaten Kira or the drone again and you’ll find out."

"Without me or this ship, you’ll be stuck on this planet. You won’t be able to go anywhere."

Graydon didn’t seem concerned. "I’m sure we’ll figure something out."

Pallas bared his teeth but dropped his hand from the hilt of his sword.

"Kira, you good?" Graydon asked with his en-blade still against Pallas’s neck.

"Define good."

The J1N trying to murder Pallas hadn’t been on her itinerary for the day. The fact that the matter had passed with no bloodshed could be considered a minor miracle.

"You can put away your en-blade. I won’t do anything to them," Pallas said with a snide look at Kira.

She glared at him. "If I were you, I wouldn’t trust anything out of that psycho’s mouth."

Her history with Pallas said he wasn’t the type to let an attack of this nature go so easily.

Pallas’s gaze lingered on the J1N long enough for Kira to grow uncomfortable. "Let me guess. That’s not Jin."

Kira met his gaze, ice sliding through her veins.

The corners of Pallas’s lips lifted. "I thought something was off about him. Why didn’t you tell the forty three that in addition to Elena, Jin is also compromised?"

"It didn’t feel necessary. I doubt it would have made a difference anyway."

The enigmatic smile on his face widened. "It’s so good to see you finally understand the purpose behind keeping secrets. Even when it comes to your nearest and dearest."

"Like you did with your little yer’se?" Kira cut her eyes to Lathan. "After all the threats you made regarding me telling the Curs and you reveal the forty three’s existence to him."

Pallas dismissed her argument with a wave. "We’re not talking about my precious disciple. We’re talking about you. Telling us might have changed things."

Anger filled Kira. She hurled the J1N at Pallas’s head. "Like it did with Elise?"

Pallas caught the drone, making a tsking sound with his tongue. "What discourteous treatment of our youngest’s body."

"Screw you," was Kira’s mature response.

Kira jerked a shoulder up in apology at Graydon’s questioning look. If she thought the J1N was still in danger from Pallas, she never would have used it as a projectile weapon.

That being said, she’d prefer Jin never learn about this. He would not be so understanding.

Pallas tossed the drone into the far corner. It hit the deck and bounced, catching itself in midair.

Kira rolled her eyes as its lens once again pointed in the wrong direction.

"You realize you’ll likely die if Jin does," Pallas said conversationally.

"What’s your point?"

"Merely to ask why you made no effort to prevent him from undertaking such a dangerous venture. You had to realize what was happening."

"It was his choice," Kira said in as even a voice as she could manage.

As much as his absence hurt her, she’d support him a thousand times if it meant Elena wasn’t going through this trial alone.

Pallas regarded her, his face breaking into a lightning fast grin at odds with his earlier seriousness. "That’s what I’ve always liked about you, little sister. Your dogged insistence on choosing everyone over yourself."

"Return me to my ship," Kira ordered, tired of this conversation.

Pallas dismissed Lathan with a look. The yer’se nodded, excusing himself with a low murmur.

Once he was gone, Pallas cast a look at Graydon as if debating the likelihood of convincing him to give them privacy.

Graydon grinned at him, dropping into the co-pilots seat next to Kira and stretching his legs out. He waved a hand. "Don’t mind me. Just consider me a concerned citizen. It’ll be like I’m not even here."

Kira doubted that. Graydon wasn’t that type of man. You could remove his tongue and paralyze his vocal cords and he would still be the first person people noticed.

He couldn’t help it. His charisma demanded attention without him ever having to lift a finger.

"I can’t send you back," Pallas announced.

"Can’t or won’t?"

Pallas offered her a faint smile. "Both."

Kira eyed him suspiciously, wondering if he was telling the truth or just trying to make her think he was.

There was a lot about his abilities that she didn’t know.

For one thing—how was he able to pinpoint her location to port to? He’d known right where to find her. Appearing in exactly the perfect spot for an ambush. There had to be some type of marker. A tag of some kind that he could hone in on whenever he wanted.

That thought was a scary one. If true, it meant Pallas could find her at anytime, anywhere.

She could think of a lot of applications for an ability like that. Assassination among them.

On the other hand, he had to have a limitation of some kind. Power always came at a cost. Just look at the toll her burst left on her.

Kira didn’t know if distance affected how often he could use his power. If so, it would explain his ’impossible’. He might need time to recover before making a jump of that length again.

Or her ship wasn’t tagged and he could no longer locate it.

Either way, she didn’t have a choice but to accept his excuse.

Pallas quirked an eyebrow at the screen Kira had been in the middle of trying to hack before she was interrupted. "Stealing my ship, dear sister?"

"That’s fucking rich. Why are you even here?" Kira glanced at Graydon. "Let me guess. They held a vote after I left. And you’re here to try to stop me."

Pallas rolled his eyes. "You’re wrong about that last part."

"But not about the vote."

"Don’t you want to hear the outcome?" Pallas asked with a smug twist of his lips that made alarm spread through Kira’s body.

Her gaze jumped from him to Graydon and back again. The things Graydon and Pallas had said earlier coming back to her.

Things like "agreement" and "siblings".

"Oh no, don’t tell me."

Pallas’s smile broadened. "You’ll have to get over all those negative feelings, little sister. I’ve been charged by the forty three to handle this matter."

Kira shook her head and kept shaking it. "Absolutely not."

That wasn’t happening. It wasn’t.

"It’s already decided. Lover boy even agreed. We’re going to be murder buddies for the foreseeable future."

Kira felt ill. The urge to bend forward and hurl all over Pallas’s pristine decks was strong. She resisted, stabbing a finger in his direction as she faced Graydon. "That psycho can’t come with us. He’s a loose cannon."

There was a reason Kira and Jin treated Pallas with the utmost caution. It was because anything and everything could happen when he was involved. She’d rather change the plan entirely than have him on board.

"It’s already decided," Pallas sang.

"We don’t need him," Kira said, feeling desperate.

Graydon folded his hands in front of him. "Do you have another way off this planet?"

Kira waved madly at the ship around them.

"You’d leave me behind?" Pallas asked, sounding hurt.

"In a heartbeat."

In fact, there was nothing she’d like better.

"Another blade at our back wouldn’t be the worst thing," Graydon pointed out.

"Trust me, it could."

Graydon wasn’t acquainted with Pallas’s particular brand of mayhem. He didn’t realize what he was asking.

Graydon’s gaze moved to the console. "To leave him behind, we’d have to be able to steal his ship. How’s that going by the way?"

Kira avoided his eyes as she crossed her arms. Not well.

"Then there’s no alternative. We need a ship. He has a ship," Graydon said with an air of finality.

"Fine," Kira said, giving in. "He can come. But only until I rendezvous with the Wanderer."

"We’ll see," Pallas allowed.

"No. We won’t."

Kira was ditching him at the first moment possible.

Pallas brushed past Kira as she moved to the side.

"Look at this. You weren’t even close." He tsked as he took a seat in the captain’s chair she’d vacated. "Jin must be the brains in your operation."

"Don’t," Kira warned in a guttural voice that made Graydon straighten to give her a cautious look.

Pallas’s hands never stopped as he logged into the ship’s controls. "Sensitive. You should really fix that or else your enemies will take advantage."

"You would know."

Pallas paused. "I’m not the enemy, Kira. I never was. That’s a story you made up to make yourself feel better about abandoning us."

Kira gave him a startled look. "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing, Kira. We wouldn’t want to threaten your fragile view of the world."

Kira’s eyes narrowed. "No, you brought it up. Obviously, you have something to say. What is it?"

Graydon was a quiet presence at her back, watching the two of them carefully.

Pallas let out a sigh, twisting to face her. "You want to do this now? Okay. Might as well since we’re going to be bosom buddies for the next little while. A chance to clear the air and everything. You want to hold the past against us? Turnabout is fair play. We didn’t abandon you. You abandoned us first."

That wasn’t fair.

"What did you expect me to do? Leave Jin there to die? He wouldn’t have survived the punishment for our escape."

"Despite what you may think, none of the forty three has ever disagreed with your sacrifice in remaining behind to get Jin out."

Pallas’s expression was unnaturally serious. He was always the one with a roguish smirk or grin. Even when something bad was happening, he never lost that devil-may-care attitude.

"It’s what came after that was so disappointing," Pallas said.

"What are you talking about?"

"All those years, you never came looking for us. You forgot us. Your humans became the only thing you cared about.”

"That’s not true," Kira corrected. "Jin and I thought you were dead. We saw the explosion. We heard the cannons. We never knew there was anything left to look for."

If they had, they would have searched and never stopped until they found the forty three again.

"We mourned you," Kira said with a catch in her voice.

Every day for years.

"We stole one of their ships and used it to cover our tracks. What you and Jin saw was the ambush Ryan and Alexander set and the cannons we fired."

"There was no way we could have known that," Kira defended.

"You might have. If you’d looked."

"There were bodies!"

She and Jin had been younger then. Not nearly as jaded and suspicious as their current incarnations. They hadn’t yet learned to peer beneath the surface of things. To look at the discrepancies and through to the truth.

If this situation happened today, things would have been different. They would have left no stone unturned.

"Who told you that?" Pallas asked with a closed mouthed smile. "Himoto?"

Kira wavered, opening her mouth before closing it.

"You’ve always only seen what you wanted to see," Pallas said with a faint scoff, turning back to the console. "You did it with Elise. You do it with us."

A lifetime worth of hurt feelings and misunderstandings filled the silence that resulted.

Graydon rose, moving up beside Kira.

"Since we’re in the mood to share, here’s another secret, dear sister," Pallas said, looking up from the computer screen. "We went back for you that night. Himoto beat us to you by minutes."