Devon choked back a sound of amusement as Maverick shifted in his seat, leaning forward to peer through one of the windows.

  "The Reliance and the Lawrence have engaged."

  They all moved to look. Explosions stood out in stark relief against the backdrop of the void as the Reliance and the Lawrence started their attacks. From the planet, beams erupted from the energy cannons.

  Luckily, the two ships were out of range or their hulls would have sustained heavy damage.

  Dozens of smaller shapes darted out of various sections of Jace and Bechler's ships. They swarmed the much larger Tsavitee vessels, looking like tiny bees next to them.

  Raider's hands clenched. "Let's not waste their efforts, Curs."

  "Yes, Master Chief!" the humans intoned.

  Raider nodded. "Suit up."

  Maverick and Tank donned their helmets and tested their suits to ensure they were sealed as Nova jerked his chin at Graydon and the rest. "What about them? I’m not seeing any helmets."

  Amila gave the human a happy smile, her eyes glittering as the scales of her synth armor crawled up her throat. The helmet it formed was impressive, made of the same protective layers as the rest of her suit.

  The faceplate was the only exception with a thin black membrane that made her and the other oshota look about ten times more intimidating than they did normally.

  Devon and Joule's suits weren't quite as dramatic, but they possessed a similar functionality.

  "Fancy," Nova drawled. "Where can I get one of those?"

  Raider slapped him on the back of the head. "Don't even think about it."

  Nova made a face as he lifted his helmet and maneuvered it into place. Himoto did the same in the front of the shuttle craft as Graydon and the rest followed suit.

  "Remember, boys and girls." Raider grabbed the handle strap on the ceiling, balancing as the shuttle entered the most outer layer of the planet’s atmosphere. "Keep your head on the swivel once we're down there and don't get dead."

  Odin made a happy sound as the shuttle jolted. "Kira, I did it. I found him."

  She yanked the wires out of her tablet, crossing the short distance to kneel in front of Kira. The Sye flipped the tablet so Kira could see.

  "Look—that's him."

  Kira squinted at the blinking dot, taking the tablet from Odin so she could see better.

  "There was an encrypted program in the drone that I think he created so he could always track his spawn," Odin explained. "Remember how we used the spawn to find Jin on Jettie? This is the same concept only reversed."

  "Can you upload that to mine and Kira's systems?" Raider asked.

  Before Odin answered, the shuttle veered suddenly.

  Kira grabbed Odin. Graydon doing the same for Raider.

  The rest of the shuttle's occupants weren't as lucky. Nova and Maverick crashed into the side as Amila caught hold of Tank.

  The Tuann fared a little better due to their ki.

  "What the hell was that?" Himoto snapped.

  "That's what we'd like to know," Nova snarled, picking himself up off the floor. "I thought you said no engines until we were ready to drop."

  "I had no choice. We just got a target lock notification." Himoto's voice sounded strained as she took control of the ship. "You need to prepare to drop. I won't be able to hold out long."

  "I thought you said shutting everything down would make us invisible to their scanners," Nova demanded.

  "We must have been wrong."

  "Then are we wrong about the waveboards being able to slip through their net too?" Maverick asked.

  Kira glanced at her friend. "Odin?"

  Odin shook her head, still bent over the tablet. "The plan is a go. The waveboards should be able to slip through still. That's not the problem."

  "What is?"

  Odin looked up at Kira. "We're too far off from where we were supposed to drop. This high up the engines from the waveboards will paint a target on you."

  "We don't use the engines. We glide down as was the original plan."

  Kira didn't see the problem.

  Odin showed her the tablet. "This is where you'll land."

  The place Odin was pointing to was far from Jin and Elena's current position. Much too far to cover before Jace and Bechler's ships were destroyed. Once that happened, the Tsavitee would turn their attention to the surface and any potential incursions. They'd be hunted down and captured.

  "Fuck!" Raider cursed.

  "Whatever you're going to do, you have to decide now," Himoto yelled.

  "The Curs will do it," Tank declared. "We can guide you onto the proper trajectory and then bug out while the system's defenses target us. You'll make it down safe."

  Odin nodded. "That might work. I can do the calculations. It should get you in the vicinity."

  Kira hesitated, looking at Raider. "I don't like this."

  It smacked of sacrifice. Something she'd promised she'd never allow happen for her again.

  "There's no choice," Raider answered.

  The shuttle's engine exploded. They spun.

  "Bail. Bail. Bail," Himoto screamed, managing to stabilize the craft. "This shuttle is going down."

  Tank grabbed Kira's hand, squeezing. "Trust us, Phoenix. We're Curs too."

  Reluctantly, she nodded. "Joule, you're with them. They'll need someone to cover their asses."

  With him, they at least had a fighting chance.

  "We don't need a kid," Nova argued.

  Tank strode to the hatch, popping it. The hatch blew out, the sudden rush of air threatening to rip them out of the shuttle before they were ready.

  "Pick a buddy," Raider yelled. "That person is responsible for putting you on the right trajectory."

  Odin rose, a conflicted expression on her face. "Kira—"

  A wing ripped off the side of the shuttle.

  Tank grabbed Amila and Solal, bailing out. Nova latched onto Graydon, tipping them both out the hatch.

  The shuttle started to spin, ejecting Joule and Devon. Somehow, Maverick managed to leap for Finn and Talon, tackling them out of the shuttle.

  Soon, Kira and the two pilots were the only ones left.

  "You too, Himoto," Kira yelled.

  "Go," Himoto ordered her co-pilot.

  The person didn't have to be told twice, heading for the exit without a glance in Kira's direction.

  "Just like Paxus," Raider screamed.

  He jumped with Odin a second later.

  Kira grabbed the J1N, holding it tight as she waited for Himoto. The lieutenant didn't disappoint, doing something to the controls that made the flight path smooth out for a second.

  "That should hold it for a moment," Himoto announced, springing out of her seat and sprinting toward the back of the craft.

  Kira leapt first. Himoto falling out behind her.

  The shuttle burst into flame, exploding a second later.

  Kira caught all of it in the first seconds of free fall. The trail of debris burning a path toward the planet's horizon where the sun was just beginning to rise. Shafts of light skated across the surface, reflecting off the clouds below. The vivid colors a contrast against the backdrop of space.

  Beyond that were the flashes of light from the distant battle. So silent that it was almost like it wasn't happening.

  "Stay safe, my friends," Kira prayed silently as Himoto activated her waveboard.

  "Whoa," someone whispered through the comms. "It's kind of beautiful, isn't it?"

  "Radio silence, people," Raider instructed. "Let's at least try to act like this isn't our first time."

  "No can do, boss. My team needs to draw as much attention as possible to give you a chance," Tank rumbled.

  A tap came on Kira's shoulder. She looked over to find Himoto had matched her fall. At a thumbs up from Himoto, Kira grabbed the other's arm and maneuvered her waveboard to sit across the back of Himoto's. The magnetic field initiated, binding the two boards together.

  As soon as Kira's board was attached to hers, Himoto banked.

  Almost immediately, there were streaks of light from the planet, announcing incoming weapons fire.

  "Hold on," Himoto instructed through the comms.

  They swerved, losing sight of the groups ahead. Kira did her best to follow Himoto's cues as the lieutenant tried to dodge the pulse beams.

  "Drop in three," Himoto ordered.

  To their right, a streak darted their way. A hundred feet and closing.

  "Three."

  Fifty feet. Kira summoned her soul's breath.

  "Two."

  Fifteen feet.

  "One."

  Ten feet.

  Himoto released Kira's board. Kira thrust out with her soul's breath, relying more on brute force than finesse.

  "Holy shit," Himoto screamed as the streak exploded in a fireball that somehow managed to wrap around the human without doing any damage. "Was that you?"

  Kira allowed herself a grin at seeing the human unharmed. "We're even now."

  With this, her debts to Admiral Himoto had been partially paid.

  Himoto broke toward the CSS Reliance. "Best of luck, Phoenix. And thanks."

  Twenty Seven

  The ground sped toward Kira in a dizzying rush. Artillery fired from the planet's surface. The rapid barrage aimed at Jace's fleet.

  The world felt like it had gone a little mad. Chaotic and insane as stimuli battered Kira's senses.

  She concentrated, not letting the madness overwhelm her. All that mattered now was reaching the surface of the planet without dying. To that end, she let her muscle memory take over, grateful that she'd had practice relatively recently.

  She'd have to thank the Haldeel royals later. Without the quorum to serve as a training round, this might not have gone the way she wanted it to.

  Up ahead, she caught a glimpse of Raider. He was the only one close enough to get eyes on. The rest nothing more than tiny dots in the far distance.

  Their landing zones were going to be pretty spread out, Kira realized. Their jumps timed too far apart.

  That was going to make Finn a tad unhappy when he got down there and couldn’t find her immediately.

  A problem for future Kira.

  For now, Kira kept her gaze trained on her head's up display and the dot representing Jin. That was where she had to go.

  Her suit's hydraulics hissed as they worked to support her legs, taking some of the extreme pressure off her body. Her soul's breath helped, strengthening the muscles and joints until they were strong enough to withstand the G's she was pulling.

  It always amazed her that humans managed to endure this without the benefit of ki. Raider and the rest of the Curs were either stubborn or out of their minds.

  The ground approached fast, getting closer and closer. Her stomach clenched as she waited until the absolute last second before stomping on the waveboard's throttle, bringing it to life. It roared, resisting the harsh pull of gravity.

  Kira landed hard.

  The impact resonated up her legs into her knees and hips, rattling her teeth despite the way she had them clenched in preparation.

  "Got to love human ingenuity," Kira muttered.

  Without the suit, a landing like that would have broken nearly every bone in her body.

  She stepped off the board, getting her first glimpse of the Tsavitee's home world. "Nicer than I imagined."

  It certainly didn't look like the environment she'd associate with a species that had lain waste to countless Consortium planets. The Tsavitee had never given any evidence of caring how much destruction they caused to an ecosystem.

  Maybe that only applied to planets that weren't theirs.

  The plant life around her was lush and plentiful. Though admittedly some plants looked decidedly odd.

  Kira kept her distance from those, not putting it past the Tsavitee to have engineered them to be lethal. It would certainly be in keeping with what she knew of them.

  "J1N, report," Kira ordered.

  "The atmosphere is within acceptable limits for supporting human life. Although, my sensors are detecting a dangerous toxin in the plants in our immediate vicinity. I recommend avoiding physical contact."

  "Looks like I'm right again," Kira muttered, giving the twisted fronds of the alien ferns a wide berth. "What do we want to bet that most things we encounter today will try to kill us?"

  The J1N floated above her as she crouched beside her board. "I am unsure of those odds. Please rephrase."

  Kira shook her head and rolled her eyes as she fiddled with the board. "Never mind."

  A few moments later, she straightened. "All done."

  The next person who touched the board would set off an explosion that would rip apart anyone in the immediate vicinity.

  Booby trapping the waveboard wasn't Kira's preferred choice, but there was little reason to take it with her. It would just slow her down.

  At least this way, it had a chance of throwing any pursuers off her trail.

  "Let's get moving. They'll have noticed my landing," Kira said, walking into the forest.

  They'd probably already sent a squad to investigate. She needed to be as far away as possible before they got here.

  "Any sign of the others?"

  "Negative. My sensors aren't picking up any of their life signs."

  Kira hoped that meant the others were too far out of range and not that they were already dead. Until she had evidence to the contrary, she was choosing to believe it was the former rather than the latter.

  Her best bet was continuing the mission and hoping she stumbled across them at some point.

  Kira turned to the north east where she thought she'd spotted tall, needle-like structures that pointed to signs of life. Coincidentally, they were also in the vicinity of Jin's signal.

  "That's where I need to go," Kira whispered.

  Graydon

  Blood soaked the dull, gray stone of the avenue Graydon had landed on. Tsavitee bodies were strewn over a wide area. Either dead or dying.

  Graydon shielded his eyes, taking in the towering structures he found himself amongst. "Does this place feel strange to you?"

  Solal yanked his en-blade out of the chest of a Tsavitee. "It does."

  Craters littered the area where Graydon and his oshota had taken out a few of the cannons targeting the upper atmosphere.

  "I do not like it," Solal informed him.

  Graydon crouched, setting one hand on the ground. There was a sucking sensation. Discrete. Almost unnoticeable unless you had experience with something like it before.

  "Their streets are covered in a material similar to seiki stone," Graydon said.

  Solal frowned at the ground. "Why would they do that?"

  Graydon took in the strange city in front of him with new eyes. "Because of us."

  This entire place was built to obstruct his kind. The very ground meant to drain them of energy and ki, making battle more difficult.

  A Tuann, unable to access their soul's breath, was vulnerable.

  Solal curled a lip. "Disgusting."

  "Yes," Graydon agreed, rising.

  There was something more though. Something in the plants and air that left Graydon feeling like a layer of filth was coating his body. It made his skin crawl, leaving him on edge.

  "We shouldn't linger," Graydon said.

  He had a feeling bad things would happen to them if they did. He wasn't talking about just death either.

  Amila stalked toward them, her synth armor stained with blood that hadn't been there before he'd sent her out on recon.

  "Did you find them?" Graydon asked.

  Amila shook her head regretfully. "There was no trace of their presence in our immediate vicinity."

  "Enemies are approaching," Solal announced as a swarm of Tsavitee rounded the corner, marching in their direction. "How would you like to handle this?"

  The Tsavitee spotted Graydon and his oshota. A bugle sounded, followed by a loud roar as the front ranks charged.

  "As we always have," Graydon announced, starting toward the Tsavitee. "Slaughter them all. Leave none standing."

  Kira

  Kira darted into the tree tops as movement came from up ahead. Using a branch as a perch, she concealed her presence just as a Tsavitee advance team passed under her.

  Their numbers were made up of half a dozen demons and several class two war drones. It was the wraith among them that sent Kira's pulse into overdrive.

  It stopped under her branch, lifting its head to sniff the air.

  The movement exposed its face under the cowl and cloak it wore as protection against the sun. Without it, the wraith's skin would burn even under the weakest of light. It was that sensitivity that had earned it the name of wraith.

  A thin layer of flesh stretched over the bones of its skull. It lacked the elasticity and extra tissue a human or Tuann face would have. As a result, it more closely resembled a skull. Its eyes and nose sunken in. Little more than hollowed out holes.

  Moving carefully, Kira pointed her pulse rifle at the wraith.

  "What do you sense?" Lothos asked from out of sight.

  Kira's lungs froze at the appearance of the general. She didn't dare move so much as a muscle for fear of causing the branch to shake.

  A wraith she could take. Even a squad of demons wasn't a problem. A general, though. That would be difficult.

  Of all the rotten luck.

  The wraith inhaled, air whistling through its nasal passages. "Death. A lot of it."

  An explosion shook the forest.

  "That has to be her," Lothos declared, looking in the direction of the blast. "Find her. I want her alive."

  The demons and war drones set off, crashing through the underbrush. The wraith held back, studying the forest around it carefully.

  "You too," Lothos ordered.

  The wraith padded forward, gliding silently through the trees after the rest.

  Kira didn't let herself relax, remaining tense as Lothos lingered under her tree. He remained there long enough for Kira to get antsy.

  An ambush might not be so bad. Definitely preferable to the alternative.

  She had just decided to drop on him from above when he left his spot, following the rest.

  Kira released the breath she'd been holding. Lucky.

 

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