Facets of Revolution, page 5
A teenage-looking boy stood next to her with a shy smile.
“Ziva, what did I tell you about the ‘S’ word?” Kira asked the girl.
Strictly translated, the term seon’yer meant mentor or teacher, but the concept was much more complex than that.
In ages past, humans had similar ways of calling their mentors depending on the region. Sensei in Japan. Shifu in China, and master in other parts of the world.
The relationship between seon’yer and yer’se, or disciple, was a deep one, approaching that of a parental figure with their child. As far as Kira could tell, it was a relationship that stuck with both parties for the entirety of their lives. Dissolving it wasn’t something done on a whim and usually involved the dishonor of one or both of those involved.
It was why she was so resistant to Ziva taking her as her seon’yer.
Kira didn’t know what her future involved. There was also the fact she had not yet passed her adva ka, a rite of passage Tuann must undertake before they were considered an adult.
Until she did, she could not formally take on any disciples. Even if she wanted to. Which she didn’t.
Ziva’s nose scrunched with stubbornness as she set her hands on her hips. “The eldest yer’se advised me that sometimes your words don’t match your actions.”
Kira shook her head as she flicked off the welding rod. That child was going to give her a coronary one day. Kira just knew it.
Kira sent a respectful nod at the boy next to Ziva. “Joule. You couldn’t have talked her out of this?”
There was a maturity to Joule’s face that had been lacking the first time Kira met him. He’d lost some of the softness of youth, his features thinning out a bit. Weeks of intensive training had added a little muscle to his frame.
Outwardly he looked around fourteen years old, but the Tuann grew slowly, taking decades to mature.
Kira herself was ninety-two though she appeared in her mid to late twenties at the most.
“She was most insistent,” Joule explained.
Kira grunted. “That seems to be going around.”
Kira hated to admit it, but she saw a lot of herself in the girl. They had the same stubbornness that masked their heartbreak and loss. The regret that came with being the one left behind. It made them all the more determined to succeed at any cost.
Kira could already see it. Ziva would eventually wear her down.
Decades of training and experience on the battlefield would be nothing in front of the child. Her reputation as the Phoenix would go down in flames. All because a little girl turned out to be more obstinate than her.
Kira ducked out from under the ship, ushering Ziva and Joule in front of her to where a pair of oshota from Luatha waited on the walkway.
They were Ziva’s escort while on the station.
Though both children came from a fallen House, their former House had sworn loyalty to Luatha. As such, Luatha was now responsible for their wellbeing until they came of age and left to pursue the adva ka—as was the case with Joule.
Ziva was still too young for such an undertaking—hence her escort.
Dozens of ships surrounded the Wanderer. They were arranged in neat little lines that extended the length of the massive dock. Many lacked the crests of one of the five major Houses, proclaiming them as belonging to a minor House.
“Do you know what’s going on? Why are there so many people?” Kira asked, studying the swarm of activity.
There were far more ships and Tuann present than she’d ever thought possible. The station practically bursting at the seams.
She’d always gotten the impression that not just anyone could visit Ta Sa’Riel or call it home. Certainly not the invasion force currently on the station.
She counted at least fifteen other Houses—and that was in her immediate vicinity. Berthed ships extended as far as the eye could see. That didn’t account for those ships that had already come and gone while Kira was working on the Wanderer.
For this many Tuann to be heading planet side, something had to be going on.
So many bodies in one place made Kira itch to disappear to a far corner of the universe where no one would find her.
“It’s the adva ka. Word is that it is set to open in the coming weeks,“ Joule explained. “Any Tuann hoping to embark on the rite has flocked to the planet. It’s the only time so many different Houses are welcomed at once.”
The adva ka was one of the most sacred rituals of the Tuann. A rite of passage considered necessary to be viewed as an adult—with all the rights and privileges that came with.
It didn’t matter how old you were. Ten years or a thousand. Or if you had fought on countless battlefields. Until you went through the adva ka, you were considered a dependent of your House.
“Adva ka, huh? Graydon and his people must be going crazy.”
An influx of that size would pose security issues. From verifying the identity of those traveling to the planet, to ensuring they don’t sneak any nasty surprises to the surface.
It was the perfect opportunity for Elise—or anyone hoping to cause trouble—to infiltrate Ta Sa’Riel.
Maybe Aeron hadn’t been talking out of his ass about Elise’s next destination after all.
Kira slapped the panel to extend the Wanderer’s boarding ramp.
Joule’s sideways glance held a touch of wryness. “You know it’s unlikely they’ll let you participate, right?”
The ramp lowered.
Kira set the welding rod inside the threshold as she studied the walkways teeming with Tuann boarding their ships. “Don’t worry. I have my ways.”
There would be objections, but Kira didn’t really concern herself with things like that.
It was time.
A part of her found the entire situation ridiculous. But if that was the hoop she needed to jump through to restore her autonomy, that was what she was going to do.
“I don’t suppose you’d be willing to include me in that?” Joule asked with a hope she couldn’t ignore.
Kira wasn’t the only one up against the wall.
Joule needed to resurrect his fallen House or risk its members drifting away. Some would end up as wanderers. Viewed with suspicion and pushed out to the periphery of society.
The talented would find invitations to other Houses, but even that wasn’t the salvation it seemed. They would still face suspicion along with now being on the bottom rung of the hierarchy in any House they joined.
Neither option was what Joule wanted for the members of his House.
He needed to pass the adva ka as much as Kira did. It was the only way to save those who’d survived the fall of his House. A duty Joule took seriously.
It was a dangerous path that could easily end in his death. If Kira was smart, she’d turn him away for his own safety.
She sighed, already knowing she wasn’t going to do that. “I’ll see what I can do.”
Joule’s fist clenched in a small celebration before his expression smoothed out.
Kira shook her head, reaching out to ruffle his hair. “Don’t make me regret this.”
“I won’t.”
Kira hoped he was right.
“What are you two doing here?” she asked.
“About that—“ Joule started as Ziva’s gaze darted to the ship and back.
Kira had a sinking suspicion she knew what they were about to ask. “No.”
Joule’s smile showed he was undeterred. “We were hoping for a ride to the planet.”
“Doesn’t Luatha have their own shuttles to the surface?” Kira whined.
“They do but since I’m technically part of House Roake while I am in training it will be difficult for them to transport me,” Joule explained.
Red tape. The bane of Kira’s existence and something that obviously transcended race and culture.
“We want to go down together,” Ziva explained.
The separation between the two while Joule was in training was hard for them. The trip back to the planet over the past few weeks had allowed them to catch up, but now that they were home, they faced another separation.
“Why do I get the feeling that’s not all there is to it?” Kira asked dryly.
Ziva’s answering grin was impish.
Yeah. That’s what Kira thought.
The children’s gazes lifted to a spot over Kira’s shoulder.
Ziva’s face brightened. “Jin!”
A sphere floated out of the ship, stopping when it reached the air above Kira’s shoulder.
The color of graphite, the drone was about the size of Kira’s head. Once meant for combat, it was now considered outdated by Consortium standards.
“Kira, the electrical panels have been fixed and I’ve completed the diagnostic,” Jin told Kira as his anti-gravs whirred. To the other two, “Did you convince her yet?”
Expectation filled Joule and Ziva’s faces as they looked at her pleadingly.
Even Kira’s shriveled heart couldn’t withstand the begging. “Fine. You can come.”
A cheer erupted.
Jin darted forward, circling behind them before ushering them forward. “All aboard the Kira Express before she changes her mind.”
Ziva wasted no time grabbing the small bag at her feet before bolting up the ramp. Joule picked up his own bag and followed at a more sedate pace.
Kira met the gaze of the man waiting for her at the top of the ramp.
Finn’s face was expressionless as he watched her approach. Assigned as her oshota when she first reached House Luatha, Finn had shown a surprising ability to stick to her despite all her best efforts.
He was considered among the elite of the oshota’s ranks. A badass who’d gotten saddled with the likes of Kira. She didn’t envy him his predicament. Not even she would want to safeguard someone like her.
It was a thankless task he’d undertaken with only a few complaints.
“What?” she asked.
“You’re soft on them.”
“It’s just a ride.”
Finn’s mouth tilted up on one side in a micro expression Kira would have been envious of when she was younger. “There’s also the question of Joule and the adva ka.”
“You know—just because we’ve reached a truce, it doesn’t mean it has to stay that way.”
Finn’s face remained blank except for the tiniest gleam of interest. “Say the word and I’ll be happy to renegotiate the terms.”
The two stared at each other in a battle of wills.
Kira had only gone up against Finn once. It had been a difficult encounter.
Admittedly, she hadn’t been at her best. Ship life had left her a little out of shape. Not to mention the havoc her untrained ki had exacted on her body. Still, it was enough to know how skilled an opponent he was.
The sudden hush on the docks behind Kira distracted her from the promise of a spar. Something she hadn’t indulged in enough over the last weeks.
She looked over her shoulder to find movement on the dock had ground to a halt as the Tuann stopped and stared at the two figures making their way across the deck.
Selene was almost regal as she glided forward, her Haldeel style robes sweeping the ground. The bell-like sleeves fell to a point in the middle of her hands and her hair was swept up into an elaborate braid at the back of her head. Alexander’s face was inscrutable as he paced at her side. A caged beast tasked with the protection of the princess.
“Are you going to talk to them?” Finn asked when Kira remained where she was.
“No need. We’re strangers who share the same beginning. Nothing more.”
Kira ignored the feel of Finn’s eyes on the side of her face, knowing he probably didn’t understand. That was okay. She didn’t need him to.
Friendship? That wasn’t a term you threw around in relation to the forty-three.
A sigh came from her oshota before he patted her on the shoulder and disappeared into the ship.
Jin moved out of the shadows, joining her. “This feels weird.”
Kira nodded. He wasn’t wrong.
Selene and Alexander weren’t acting like they’d come to expect of the forty-three. The knowledge made Kira antsy. Like she was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“When was the last time so many of us were in such close proximity?”
“Nine years. No. Eleven.”
Right after she’d woken up from her coma and realized Elise wasn’t as dead as the Tsavitee would have had her believe.
“I don’t like it when they act out of character. It gives me the shivers.”
At that, Kira raised her eyebrows at him. “That’s quite a feat since you lack any skin.”
“You know what I mean.”
She did indeed.
“Why do you think he came?” Jin asked.
“He cares about her.”
He didn’t want to leave Selene to face the Tuann alone.
“The forty-three all care about each other. I don’t see any of them here.”
That brought a small smile to Kira’s face. “Who’s to say that they aren’t?”
The forty-three were masters of infiltration. There was every possibility a few of them had managed to insert themselves into the periphery of the situation given the activity surrounding the adva ka.
Jin made a grumbling sound that said he took her point as Kira crossed her arms and leaned against the side of her ship.
Kira nodded at Alexander. “He loves her. That’s why he’s here.”
In his shoes, Kira might have done the same for Graydon. Nothing said love like a willingness to go through the same trials.
People underestimated how reassuring it could be simply to have a companion when you faced your greatest fear. Not to have them fix the problem but rather hold your hand through the worst of it.
Alexander wasn’t here to solve Selene’s issues. Selene didn’t need that. He was there to provide a steady shoulder for when things got heavy.
“I don’t see it,” Jin said. “What makes you think it’s love?”
“He broke the rules for her.”
For Alexander that was the ultimate proclamation.
“What rule?”
“The forty-three have a time limit for how long they can exist in close proximity.”
It was smart if you thought about it. Keep a distance from each other so if one is compromised, they can’t drag down the rest.
Of course, it also made for a lonely existence.
“How do you know that?” Jin asked.
“Elise told me.”
It was one of the few things she’d shared about the forty-three. It had slipped out one night when Elise was feeling nostalgic.
“I suspect this is the longest they’ve been together since their escape,” Kira said as Alexander looked in their direction.
“That’s kind of sad.”
It was.
The two were quiet until another commotion on the dock attracted their attention. The noise level dipped as two men strode into view. Kira could recognize the smaller of the two as Graydon. His matte black synth armor gleaming with a subtle threat that caused those in front of him to give way. A second man prowled at his side. He had a hood pulled over his head, his features impossible to distinguish behind the energy field he used to hide his face.
“Does the emperor think he’s fooling anyone in that getup?” Jin asked with a snort.
Kira frowned as the person Jin identified as Emperor Torvald leaned over to Graydon and said something.
She stiffened as Graydon’s gaze swung her way.
“Wait. Why are they heading in this direction?” Jin asked in alarm as Graydon and his companion changed course toward the Wanderer. “Kira, do something.”
“What do you want me to do?”
It wasn’t like she had the power to order the emperor around. The man owned this station and every inch of space for thousands of light years.
“I’m blaming you for this,” Jin hissed, disappearing into the ship as Kira sputtered.
“Jin,” Kira started to say, but he was already gone.
She stared at the spot where he’d been in disbelief. If she’d known all it took to make Jin retreat was the threat of the emperor’s presence, she could have saved herself a lot of trouble all those times he irritated the living daylights out of her.
A throat clearing at the bottom of the ramp redirected her attention to where Graydon and his companion waited.
Graydon propped one foot on her ramp, his roguish smile sending a flood of warmth and alarm spreading through her.
Graydon’s draw went far beyond his looks. It was infused in the predatory way he moved. Every word and gesture possessing a charisma that was bewitching.
Worse. The reality of Graydon was far greater than even the promise of him.
Graydon was a drug. One hit was never enough.
Kira was already addicted.
Her challenge lay in not letting him realize that. If he ever knew how deep she’d fallen, he’d own her—body and soul.
She wasn’t ready to let that happen.
“Are you lost?” Kira drawled.
“If I am, will you give me directions?”
Do not react, Kira warned herself as tingles erupted, knowing that was exactly what he wanted.
Kira was contrary enough to go out of her way to not meet expectations. Call her cruel but she enjoyed challenging him.
He liked it too if his expression was anything to judge by.
“Maybe but I’m pretty sure you won’t like where I send you. I noticed a few airlocks that could be tricky to escape from.”
Gagging sounds issued from the bowels of Kira’s ship. “Save the flirting for later. Ask him what he wants.”
“I’m getting to that,” Kira shouted over her shoulder. She rolled her eyes before she focused on Graydon and his companion. “As ridiculous as he is, he has a point. Why are you here?”
He and the man beside him should be concentrating on their own journey to the planet. Kira couldn’t think of one good reason for him to be standing there.
“Remember that favor I did for you?” Graydon asked.
Kira’s stomach sank. On no. She did not like where this was heading.
