20. Twenty

Twenty

Elena - Tsavitee Planet

Elena snuck through the corridors on sock clad feet. She was a ghost, passing by unnoticed. Or a phantom. She couldn’t decide which.

She hummed the theme song to a popular show about a pair of kid spies as she chose a direction at random.

Oh. That reminded her. She needed a cool call sign like Auntie’s if she was going to be a proper operative. Something that wouldn’t give away her identity.

Tommy liked to call her a harpy. She wasn’t a fan of that moniker, though. Maybe something that had less of a negative connotation.

Like Raven.

For one, it was a bird, and like the phoenix, it could fly. If, you know, phoenixes were real and all.

Elena might not have been as good as Auntie on a waveboard, but she could hold her own.

There was something about soaring in the sky that spoke to her soul. Like she was free. For a long time, it had also made her feel close to her mother. That was before she found out what her egg donor was actually like.

In legends, ravens held a variety of meanings. Considered ill omens in some cultures, messengers in others, and to have created light and thus life itself in still another.

So many different perceptions. So many interpretations of one little bird.

It was kind of poetic, if you thought about it.

The thing she most empathized with, however, was the raven’s tendency to be seen as a catalyst for mischief and mayhem.

If her current circumstance didn’t lend itself to such symbolism, she didn’t know what did.

It was practically fate.

She’d have to remember that for later when she tried to argue in favor of her new call sign with Uncle Jin. For now, she focused on her task, choosing a direction at random, careful to make note of every turn she made to ensure she could find her way back.

To her surprise, she didn’t encounter anyone during the journey. The silence was oppressive, sending her heart into her throat as she crept into a large room much different than the others she’d passed.

In the shape of a rotunda, the chamber’s ceiling formed a dome. At the heart of the room was a single platform, walkways extending off it. Below it was a pool of luminescent blue liquid that frothed and moved as if something was down there.

Elena moved closer for a better look.

The metal grates were uncomfortable against her sock covered feet as she ventured further onto the walkway that traveled the perimeter of the room’s upper half. Stairs to one side led down to the platform and the network of the walkways below. From this height, Elena had the perfect vantage with which to do a little spying.

Tanks with the same blue liquid in them flanked the walls. Bodies were curled up at the bottom of most of them, wires protruding from their chests, arms, and legs. There were signs of life, Elena realized with some horror. Bubbles floated from the occupant’s mouths, popping before they reached the surface of the liquid.

Large, thick rods protruded into the pool, connected to the base of what Elena had dubbed the control center located on the central platform in the middle of the room. Elena couldn’t get a sense of what those rods were for but they reminded her of a channel of some type. Maybe the pool was a power source.

Unfortunately, she had no intention of venturing closer to find out.

Something thrashed weakly at the bottom of the pool. A coil of its immense body appearing under the surface before it was gone.

"You’re unusually restless today, my pet," a man crooned from out of sight.

He glided into view, stepping onto one of the walkways extending over the pool.

Elena ducked back, tucking herself into a tiny crevasse between two metal canisters to avoid detection.

"Struggling is unnecessary. You know you can’t escape from this place."

The lilt in the man’s voice made Elena tremble. It brought with it a sense of terror, making her second guess just why she’d thought it was a good idea to tempt fate and explore the heart of the enemy’s territory. A foe even Auntie and Uncle Jin treated with caution.

What had she been thinking? She wasn’t equipped to deal with the consequences of discovery.

Fear gripped her by the throat, holding her immobile. Her hands clenched and unclenched, her breath quickening.

This was her chance. An opportunity to gather important intel that might help Auntie and Uncle Jin later on. Was she really going to cower in a corner and let it pass her by?

She didn’t think so. Someone had to stop these monsters. While that person probably wouldn’t be her, she could at least do her part.

First step—observing the enemy.

With that pep talk in mind, Elena steeled herself and crawled forward to peer through the metal grates to the room below.

The man stared off to the side at something out of sight.

Elena shifted to try to get a glimpse of what had caught his attention, but couldn’t see anything from her vantage point.

She settled back, forcing herself to study the Tsavitee instead.

Her aunties used to say that the more beautiful something was, the deadlier they were likely to be. This man reminded her of that warning. The Tsavitee version of a golden dart frog. A venomous amphibian native to a Haldeel colony planet. Its skin was a highly sought after prize on the black market, not only for its beauty but also its medicinal properties.

However, few were willing to take the chance of hunting them. One drop of the venom it secreted through its skin was enough to fell twenty people.

This person was like that. An alluring poison.

Strangely, he resembled a human. Or maybe a Tuann. At least a little.

There were discrepancies, however. His height for one. He would dwarf even the tallest Tuann. His limbs were longer than natural for either species. The length of his fingers was off too. Each one possessed an additional phalange. Or maybe it was a metacarpal. Elena never could remember which was which.

His eyes were different too. Creepy looking, for one thing.

They were larger than either a human’s or a Tuann’s. There was also no pupil. Just an unrelenting gold that made him look blind.

Except his head turned as he tracked another’s approach, proving he was anything but.

Elena stifled her gasp. What was Elise doing here?

"You’ve put yourself back together quite admirably, my dear," the Tsavitee crooned.

Elise was in bad shape. Her powerful presence much fainter than it had been upon their arrival. Weak, as if she was hovering on the cusp of life and death.

There was a hitch to her walk. A slight limp she was trying to hide. She also held herself carefully. As if something still hurt somewhere deep inside.

Her skin was unnaturally pale. Bloodless, making the bruises under her eyes stand out in stark contrast.

"A little light torture," Elise drawled, her voice sounding far stronger than the state of her body suggested. "Nothing to get worked up about."

"Your threshold for pain is unusually high. I’m quite impressed. Both you and the Phoenix are exceptional specimens. It’s a pity the lab and research behind your creation was destroyed during your escape all those years ago. I would have loved a chance to study what they did to you."

"Yes, such a pity, my lord," Elise agreed.

Auntie hadn’t been lying about the egg donor’s courage. Her ability to stand in front of that monster and not flinch was impressive.

Elena couldn’t have done it.

"I advise against further failure, my dear. Next time, I won’t punish you. I’ll punish them."

The Tsavitee lord nodded at the bank of tanks.

Elise’s expression was calm as the lord circled her. A flash of rage crossed her face when he leaned down to sniff the hair at the back of her head. The emotion gone so fast that Elena thought she’d imagined it.

By the time the Tsavitee crossed in front of Elise again, her expression was as placid as it had been before. As if she’d flipped a switch and buried everything that she was feeling.

"You and the Phoenix. Both so distressingly sentimental." The lord tsked. "It’s the only failing in your design that I can find. Your handler should have trained that out of you first."

Elise didn’t comment, watching the Tsavitee with a blank expression.

He stepped to the side and nodded at the tanks. "A visit is in order, I think. A reminder of what’s at stake and who holds your leash."

A crack appeared in Elise’s control as her eyes flicked to the tanks. She swallowed, her throat working.

"Your children have missed you."

Elena jerked back in surprise, the action causing her to bump into a canister. She froze at the small tink.

Please don’t have heard that, she begged. Please.

"My, my, it sounds to me like we have another vermin infestation in my lab," the Tsavitee crooned, dashing Elena’s hope. To Elise, "Bring them to me."

Elena backed further into her nook, her eyes darting back and forth.

There was nowhere to go. Nowhere to hide.

If she ran, they would see her immediately.

All she could do was hug the wall and hope her egg donor didn’t think to look where she was.

Something hit the back of Elena’s knees.

"Psst. Down here, Elena mine."

Elena whirled, her mouth falling open at the sight of the lu-ong spawn’s head poking out of an air duct cover on the wall. "Uncle Jin?"

"Catch it," he ordered.

Elena barely reacted in time as the cover fell forward. She lurched to grab it before it could hit the ground.

The lu-ong spawn jerked its head at her. "Get in!"

With the sound of footsteps slowly stalking toward her, Elena wasted no time, squeezing into the narrow opening. It was a tight fit. Possible only because of her prepubescent body.

"Help me get the cover back into place," Uncle Jin whispered.

Elena grabbed the cover, pulling it into position as Elise rounded the corner. The spawn flattened its body partially on the cover, the other half clinging to the floor of the air duct. Like that, he held it in place, allowing Elena to draw back her hands so her finger tips wouldn’t show.

She’d learned long ago not to question how Uncle Jin did some of the things he did. Instead, taking his sometimes miraculous feats for granted.

"Who is it?" the Tsavitee called from out of sight.

Elena’s egg donor scanned the nook carefully. Her forehead furrowing then relaxing as her gaze landed on the air duct where Elena was hiding. She crouched in front of it, hooking one finger over the top. "You should have known better than to come here."

Elise tugged on the cover, freezing at the sight of Elena’s terrified face.

"Yo," Uncle Jin said in greeting.

An explosive bang shattered the silence.

Elise twisted to stare up at the pressurized steam venting from the crack along the top third of the cannister.

"It looks like the sound we heard was the cannister. Probably the first sign of a de-pressurization," Elise said, pushing the air vent closed and rising. "You should punish whoever is responsible for maintaining them. A mistake like this could affect your work."

Elena held her breath, her body flashing between hot and cold. Please. Please. Please.

"I see," the Tsavitee said finally.

There was rustle of movement as Elise rose and stepped out of the nook. Then the sound of her footsteps as she walked back toward the stairs leading down to the pool.

"Aren’t you coming?" Elise asked after a moment.

"Of course, my dear," the Tsavitee murmured, finally moving away from Elena’s hiding place. "I have a new set of specimens to break in."

Neither Elena nor Jin moved, waiting until they were absolutely sure that Elise and the Tsavitee were gone.

"You are in so much trouble, favored child of my heart," Uncle Jin hissed as the spawn welded the air duct shut. "The most trouble you’ve ever been in your entire life."

"Wasn’t that what you said last time?"

The spawn reared back, looking like a snake about to strike. "It’s incredible, isn’t it? How every time you manage to top yourself."

Elena pursed her lips, wanting to argue but unable to.

If she tried, Uncle Jin’s spawn might actually bite her. She kind of thought she deserved it this time. Not that she’d ever admit it to him.

"Let’s go." Uncle Jin slithered past her into the air duct. "If they discover you’re gone, it won’t matter what I just did."

It took effort but eventually Elena got herself pointed in the right direction. "How did you do that by the way?"

The arrogance on the lu-ong’s face was impressive given he was composed of inorganic matter.

That’s one of the things Elena liked best about her Uncle Jin. His exterior never mattered. No matter what form he took, his soul and personality shone through, eclipsing all else.

"While you were sleeping, I maybe did a little tinkering and spawned a few more of myself."

Elena crawled forward another few inches on her belly before she was forced to stop and rest. "No wonder Auntie gets so upset with you sometimes."

"Your aunt has a propensity for overthinking things. She’s a worrier."

Elena thought Auntie might have a good reason to be, if this was the kind of behavior she was forced to deal with.

"Hop to, little girl," Uncle Jin ordered, glancing back at Elena.

Elena wiggled forward again in the narrow space. "This isn’t as easy as it looks."

It was quite exhausting, actually.

"I imagine not. Maybe next time keep your nose out of adult business," Uncle Jin said with zero sympathy as he led the way. "That was a real surprise you gave me, Elena mine. I almost had a heart attack. Who knew the first thing I’d see when I came to was your face hitting the business end of a staff?"

They reached an intersection where the ducts crossed. Uncle Jin headed to the left. Elena squirmed after him.

"You don’t have a heart, Uncle Jin."

The lu-ong looked back Elena. "Don’t get cheeky with me, young lady."

Elena almost giggled, the familiar scolding tone washing away the last of the fear lingering from her encounter with the strange Tsavitee.

"We’re here," Uncle Jin announced.

He hopped up onto the duct covering. From outside, there were several tinks as the fastenings dropped to the ground.

"You’re using ki," Elena said in surprise.

She would have noticed earlier when he was holding the duct cover in place if not for how preoccupied she was with the possibility of being discovered.

The ki running through the lu-ong spawn was faint. Barely perceptible. Something she never would have noticed on Ta Sa’Riel due to the ki rich environment. Probably not even on a human or Haldeel planet where the ki density was considerably less but still present on some level.

It was this place. There was something critical that felt off. Wrong even.

It made Elena sensitive to things she might not have noticed otherwise.

"Does Auntie know?"

"I don’t know what you’re talking about," Uncle Jin said as he lowered the cover to the ground. "Let’s go."

Elena frowned at her uncle but didn’t argue, sliding out of the air duct after him. She went head first, catching herself with her hands before her face got up close and personal with the floor.

Uncle Jin put the duct cover back into place before hopping onto her shoulder.

"Where were you when I woke up? I was worried," Elena asked.

Just a little though since Uncle Jin was so awesome.

"We’re in a dangerous situation. As tempting as it is to wait for your Aunt to arrive, we can’t rely on her finding us in time. The thing that we need most is information. I left to do a little reconnaissance."

Elena followed her uncle’s directions through the halls, winding her way back to the room.

"That said, I didn’t leave you unattended. Didn’t you see the spawn I left behind?" Uncle Jin asked.

Elena shook her head. "I didn’t notice anything."

Uncle Jin’s sign was resigned. "I realized that when it notified me that you’d left the room without acknowledging it. Next time do me a favor and take a look around you before you do something reckless."

That was a little harsh. Elena preferred to think of it as her being impetuous rather than reckless. Success often necessitated risk.

"Find any ships for us to steal?" Elena asked, changing the subject.

The lu-ong swatted Elena with its tail. "Don’t even think about it. You’re not high-jacking another ship."

"Why not? I’m awfully good at it."

"I’m aware," Uncle Jin said dryly. "But if you recall, the only reason the Wanderer made it off Ta Sa’Riel last time was because of your aunt’s piloting skills. I guarantee you that the Tsavitee’s anti-aerial defense network is no worse than the Tuann’s."

"I’m not worried. I have you."

"Sweet, but the answer is still no."

They reached a set of hallways that Elena recognized from her previous passage through them.

"We might not have time to wait for Auntie," Elena whispered, afraid of drawing attention now that they were near their destination. "I overheard the generals talking. Their spies are due to check in. They might have discovered something."

If that happened, Elena would be in danger.

The lu-ong tensed against Elena’s neck. "Someone’s coming."

Elena darted toward the other side of the hallway as the sound of footsteps came from behind her. She rounded the corner just as the owner of those footsteps turned theirs.

Fleeing as quickly and quietly as she could, she followed Uncle Jin’s terse instructions.

There! Up ahead. Her room. Just a little further.

Elena dashed toward it, sliding inside with seconds to spare.

She flew toward the bed, throwing herself into it and pulling the sheet over her body.

Elena had barely settled herself when Fyr appeared in the doorway.

"You’re awake," he said, surprised.

"Where’s Ajix?" Elena asked, trying to control the heavy breathing that was a result of her sudden activity.

"He had other business to attend."

"What kind of business?"

"The kind you don’t ask questions about."

"Ah. Right." Elena gave a sage nod. "The whole asking invites death thing."

Fyr’s eyes narrowed. "You’ve grown bold. Did my staff knock your senses loose?"

Elena closed her mouth. Maybe pushing him wasn’t such a great idea.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught something small crawling up the sheets. It looked like a lady bug, its carapace the same salmon blush color as Uncle Jin’s spawn.

Elena made a choked sound as it reached her arm and crawled up it.

This must be the spawn Uncle Jin had left for her. No wonder she hadn’t noticed it. It was tiny.

Elena went as still as a statue, checking on Fyr out of the corner of her eye. To her relief, she found him not paying any attention to her as he searched the room for her boots. Taking advantage of his distraction, she tilted her head down to allow her shoulder length hair to sweep forward to cover the lady bug’s presence as it climbed up her neck.

"Almost there," Uncle Jin whispered in a tiny voice.

The lady bug made its way toward her ear, crawling into the canal once it reached it.

Elena’s boots hitting the bed startled her. She jumped, staring at the boots like she’d never seen them before.

While she was distracted, the lady bug finally lodged itself against her ear drum.

Seeing Elena wasn’t moving, Fyr gestured at her boots. "Aren’t you going to wear them?"

Elena slowly reached for them. "Of course."

Grabbing the boots, she stuffed her feet into them one-by-one.

"Testing, testing. One. Two. Three," Uncle Jin said, sounding like he was right next to her. "There we go. Now, we can talk freely."

At least he could, anyway.

"Let’s go," Fyr said impatiently.

The blankets shifted as the lu-ong spawn slithered under the hem of Elena’s shirt, hitching a ride. He wound up her back to her shoulder and then down her right arm where he curled around her bicep.

"Don’t worry, Elena. I’m here," Uncle Jin said.

Fyr gave Elena a suspicious look. "Why are you smiling?"

Elena hopped down from the bed. "Just happy to be alive, I guess."

"And that’s how you’re going to stay," Uncle Jin exclaimed.

The makings of another smile tugged at Elena’s lips before she controlled her expression. It wouldn’t do to seem too happy in the current situation. Fyr might actually start to think that she’d lost her mind.

Fyr shook his head, striding out of the room with a disgusted mutter.

"What a rude bastard," Uncle Jin grumbled. "Don’t worry, Elena. You could take him if you had to."

I know, Uncle Jin, Elena answered silently, hurrying to catch up.

"You don’t like me," Elena called at Fyr’s back.

"I barely know you."

Elena walked beside Fyr, her hands clasped behind her. "Is it because of the other children? Are you afraid my presence means bad things for them?"

Aunt Kira used to always say that Aunt Selene had the best poker-face she’d ever seen. To most, she was inscrutable.

It made her hard to read and led some to believe she was incapable of emotion.

That wasn’t the case. Elena’s aunt felt deeply. Sometimes too much so. She was just better at hiding her feelings.

As a result, Elena had gotten good at reading the micro expressions of others.

It was why she noticed the faint flex of Fyr’s forearms. The way the muscles in his back and shoulders tightened before he forced them to relax.

"What would you know about that?" he asked.

Elena lifted a shoulder in a careless shrug. "Just a little."

Fyr stopped to face her. "You pulled your last blow."

"I don’t know what you’re talking about."

"Is this a game to you?"

Elena scowled. "Of course not."

What kind of person would dare play with life-and-death stakes?

Fyr resumed walking. "You certainly act like it."

"What’s that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," Fyr said dismissively. "You’re right, new girl. Your presence here threatens our survival. For you to live, one of us must die. Stop trying to be friends with us. If you want to survive, you’ll have to do it on your own."

Fyr didn’t say anything else after that, ignoring every attempt by Elena to strike up a conversation. Even when they reached the crèche, he remained stubbornly silent, disappearing into his room and leaving her standing alone in the common area.

"He has a point," Uncle Jin said softly. "These children don’t have the luxury of caring about others when they can barely keep themselves alive."

"You’re not like that. Aunt Kira isn’t either."

"Your aunt’s a strange bird. No one else in the universe would have come back for me in the circumstances she did. They would have taken the escape the forty three offered. It’s why I’d die for her. Why she’d die for me too. But you can’t judge others by those standards."

Elena glanced at Fyr’s room.

The conversation she’d overheard made her think Fyr wasn’t so simple. He was protective of his companions. If he wasn’t, he wouldn’t care about Elena’s presence.

Like Uncle Jin said, caring was a luxury. For Fyr to go to such lengths, it pointed to a strength similar to her auntie’s.

Maybe that was why she didn’t hate him the way she should.

With a heavy heart, Elena headed for her quarters.

Pulling open the door, she froze.

"Hello, child," Elise said calmly from her seat on Elena’s cot. "I think you have some explaining to do."

Kira - Rothchild

Kira rolled onto her back, burrowing deeper into the covers as she fought the tug of sleep. Not quite willing to start her day, she cracked her eyelids, coming a little more awake as she spotted Graydon’s fully dressed form leaning over her.

"What time is it?" she asked around a yawn.

She stretched, her joints popping as she blinked the drowsiness out of her eyes.

It felt early. Much too early to be up and about.

"The sun is up," Graydon said, glancing out the light filtering window.

That explained it. When they’d arrived, it had been nighttime. Their circadian rhythms hadn’t had time to adjust to the planet’s rhythm yet.

Day was when she’d been getting her rest.

"What are you doing up? Come back to bed." Kira tugged on his arm, trying to draw him back under the sheets with her.

"I can’t do that," he said.

The eyes that had just drifted closed, opened as she gave him a grumpy frown. "Why not?"

He smiled, smoothing a hand over her head. "I think there’s something we need to do."

Kira’s sleepiness vanished.

"Did Diesel put you up to this?"

Graydon’s silence was as good as an answer.

She flopped onto her back, putting one arm behind her head as she glared at the ceiling. The bed dipped under Graydon’s weight as he sat beside her.

"Fine," Kira huffed before he could say anything. "I’ll go."

Graydon patted her knee. "I knew you’d agree. I’ll let you get dressed."

She rolled her head to look at him. "Must be nice to have a suit of armor you can don instantly."

"You could always get one of your own."

"Is that a clever way to convince me to become your oshota?"

Graydon looked as if he was considering it. "I wouldn’t mind you serving me."

Kira glared. "Who says I’d be the one serving?"

She was just as likely to become the master as the shield.

Finn had told her that to gain her own synth armor, she would first need to journey to a lu-ong hunting ground. There, she’d have to obtain a single scale from a lu-ong’s chest. The endeavor could take years and often resulted in many failed attempts before a person met success.

Only the most skilled Tuann were chosen for the journey. It was the second to last step needed to be considered an oshota. The last one being finding a sword to serve.

Graydon leaned down to touch his lips to Kira’s. "Even better."

"You’d have to listen to Finn as my First."

His thumb touched the base of her throat. "I’m sure he and I could come to an acceptable arrangement. Raider, on the other hand—"

"What does he have to do with it? He’s not an oshota."

"Isn’t he, though?"

"He’s human."

Graydon made a throaty sound that showed he didn’t entirely agree.

"What do you know?" Kira asked sharply.

His smile was brief. "Your Raider is an oshota even if he doesn’t carry the name. It wouldn’t surprise me to learn Wren and Harlow have been grooming him for that role in future."

"Why would they do that?" Kira asked in confusion.

Graydon’s gaze was soft. "They see his potential. Just like I do."

Kira was quiet. Wren she could understand. Raider’s acceptance in Tuann society would only help Elena. Not hinder. Harlow, on the other hand. His motivations were more difficult to read.

A knock at the door had Graydon rising. "I’ll take care of that."

Kira nodded as Graydon went to the door. She stayed where she was until he stepped outside, the door closing after him cutting off the rumble of voices.

"Guess I should get moving too," Kira said.

Running had never been in her nature, but this was one time she wouldn’t have minded making an exception.

The cold felt like a slap in the face compared to the warmth of Kira’s bed as she tucked her cloak more securely around her.

She never thought she’d say it, but she missed Ta Sa’Riel. It was infinitely better than this frozen ball of ice.

With a sense of resignation, Kira trudged across the hard packed snow toward where Diesel and Graydon were deep in conversation.

At her approach, Diesel glanced over in amusement. "You look miserable. I forgot how much you hate the cold."

"I don’t hate it. I just prefer not to be out in it if I don’t have to."

"It might help if you were dressed appropriately," he said, taking in the thin clothes she wore and the cloak that didn’t look like it was doing much to ward off the cold.

"I’m fine."

The balial material her clothes were crafted frommade sure of that.

"You sure?" Diesel beckoned a woman over. "At least put on gloves and a scarf."

Not wanting to argue, Kira took what was offered and slid her hands into the gloves before wrapping the scarf around her neck, making sure her ears were covered at the same time. Although her Tuann designed garments protected most of her body, her hands and ears were still vulnerable to the cold.

"Why aren’t you affected?" she asked Graydon with a frown.

He gave her a superior smile. "Soul’s breath."

"So, it’s true." Diesel eyed him thoughtfully. "Your kind really are wizards."

Graydon’s smile was enigmatic. "I’m sure it appears that way to some."

Diesel’s gaze lingered on Graydon for a second before he glanced at Kira in question. "The wizard tells me you’re planning to pay your respects today. Mind if I tag along? For old time’s sake?"

There was strain around his eyes that gave Kira pause before she shook it off.

"Sure. Why not?" Kira agreed with a glance in Graydon’s direction. "The more the merrier."

Snow had started falling by the time Kira and the others crested the hill where the memorial waited. Diesel brought his chair to a stop, gesturing toward the collection of structures that had been erected on top of a wide flat piece of ground that was covered in stone. "There it is."

Cylindrical markers were lined up in uniform rows. Each engraved with the name and rank of the fallen.

They’d taken the nose cones from each ship lost in the battle and arranged them so the tips were pointed skyward.

"Your work?" Kira nodded at the green flame burning in the center of the memorial.

The care with which this place was treated was obvious at a glance. Despite the abundance of snow around the memorial, the monument itself and its markers were swept clean.

"A bit old fashioned, but I liked the symbolism," Diesel admitted. "Self-sustaining and self-contained. That puppy will continue burning long after I’m gone and my bones have returned to dust. Ingenious, right?"

"It is."

Movement in the tree line caught Kira’s attention as Brie stopped at the edge of the forest.

Kira didn’t say anything as she walked toward the monument. Diesel followed her, the low drone of his hover chair keeping them company.

Graydon stayed behind, letting her have this moment.

The sound of her footsteps changed as she stepped off the snow and onto the stone ground of the memorial.

She walked through a field of ghosts as her passage triggered the holograms housed in the grave markers. Familiar faces appeared one after another. Friends. A few acquaintances. Even an enemy or two. People who’d disliked Kira for one reason or another and she them.

They were the fallen now.

Her gaze lingered on each face, memories surfacing. Like that of the Petty Officer who’d enjoyed betting on anything and everything. Or the Chief Petty Officer who’d been a great listener, despite how much he loved the sound of his own voice.

There were dozens of memories just like those as Kira wandered the rows.

She visited as many of the crew’s grave markers as she could until she finally found herself in front of the ones she hadn’t allowed herself to look for.

"Oh," Kira whispered around the tight feeling in her chest as the Curs appeared.

Walker, Bayside, and Bates. Her family.

Their holograms were different from the rest. Candid images taken from Diesel’s private records where most of the rest were the photos placed in their personnel file.

Kira’s gaze lingered on Elise’s before she looked away. To the last marker. One that stood apart from the rest. Just like the man had in life as well.

Kneeling beside it, Kira brushed away the snow that had just fallen. "Hey, sir. It’s been a while."

Engraved in stone was the name "Commander Charles Berry".

Below it was an epitaph. "To those who gave all. Always remembered. Never forgotten. Rothchild thanks you."

Wind whistled through the trees.

"I never did get to thank you for what you and the rest did," Kira said. "You saved a lot of lives that day. I know you had a choice. It couldn’t have been easy making the one you did."

His crew’s lives. Or Rothchild’s.

It had been a selfless decision. They could have run. There had been time.

Kira might not remember the final moments, but she did remember that.

"I’ll never forget," she finished.

Diesel’s hover chair stopped beside her. "Do you still sing?"

Kira dusted the snow off her hands and rose. "Not for a long time."

"I remember you singing a requiem for the dead after each battle. We’d raise our glasses, and you’d serenade the departed. It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever heard."

That’s how she remembered it too. Every memorial. Every remembrance ceremony. Until singing was no longer a thing of joy but rather an expression of loss and grief.

"How about it, Nixxy? Will you sing for them?"

Will you sing for me, Diesel seemed to be asking.

Kira’s gaze landed on the eternal flame. She gathered herself. Sound spilled from her lips, coming effortlessly for the first time in a long time.

With the softly falling snow and the rustle of tree branches as her accompaniment, Kira gave herself over to the song she chose. One of farewell and hope for tomorrow.

Every note helped her shed the layers of grief. Every verse lessened the burden she felt like she’d been carrying forever.

By the time the last note fell, it brought with it a feeling of relief. Catharsis.

Kira set a hand on Commander Berry’s grave. "Though we part, it’s not with heavy hearts but rather gratefulness for the time we spent together."

Those were the words he’d given them during every remembrance ceremony. It felt right to give them back to him now.

Kira dropped her hand. "Why did you bring me here, Diesel?"

She looked back to find Diesel’s gaze fastened on the Curs’ holograms.

"You always were perceptive, Nixxy. Never one to miss much."

Kira checked on Graydon, finding him closer than she’d left him.

"I always told myself that if I ever saw you again, I’d give you the truth of what happened that day," Diesel said.

Something tugged at Kira’s senses. A whisper of metallic ice and acidic rain.

Tsavitee taint.

"What truth is that?" Kira asked, feeling almost numb.

"Rothchild’s truth. My truth."

Everything in Kira stilled as his meaning came clear. She shook her head in immediate rejection. "No."

"God as my witness, Kira, I didn’t mean to," Diesel whispered in a tormented voice.

Kira held up a hand, stopping Graydon. "Why?"

"You remember how the XO liked to ride our asses about wasting supplies? It was wartime and he had his panties in a twist over the amount of munitions we used."

Kira blinked.

"What were we supposed to do? Go without? During battle? We would have lost. The Curs would have died if they had to worry about conserving ammo in critical moments." Diesel calmed, the bitterness vanishing. "A woman approached me. It seemed like she was the answer to my prayers. I could supplement our stock pile. Make sure we had what we needed."

"I’m assuming she wanted something in exchange."

And that he gave it to her.

Seeing her expression, Diesel shot her a censorious look. "Not that, Kira. I was looking for a shortcut, but I wouldn’t have betrayed you for it."

"Except, from your own words, you obviously did."

"Not the way you think.” His smile was sad. "It was the munitions. They were tagged with a tracking device. I didn’t find out until the day before the attack."

"Why are you telling me this?"

Kira scanned their surroundings, realizing how isolated it was. There was no one around except for his people. Well hidden in the tree line but still detectable.

Her laugh was ugly. "This is a trap."

Color leached from her skin, gray replacing it. Runes formed on her face and arms, their lines infused with a violet glow that matched the one in her eyes.

Kira smiled, her primus washing away the sting of betrayal as it bared sharp teeth meant for ripping flesh. "You should have brought more people. What you have isn’t going to be enough."