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Kira's muscles tensed in anticipation as she wavered on the cusp of attack. Her entire being begged her to rip out this threat at the root and crush it before it could do harm.
Two things stopped her. The first—while she was nearly positive she could deal with both women, there was always the possibility she'd fail before she succeeded in neutralizing them. Her death here would leave the rest in danger with no one to warn them.
It was an unlikely scenario, but chance and luck played as much of a role in battle as skill and training. She'd seen elite soldiers lose to weaker opponents simply because of a stray shot.
The second was the possibility these two weren't the only Tuann involved in this plot. She could kill them only to find herself ambushed from behind by their co-conspirators.
If she acted now, she might lose any chance to ferret out all of her enemies at once. Reveal what she knew without a full proof plan, and they'd disappear into the woodwork faster than she could hunt them.
She refused to allow any to escape.
No, her best option was to secure the Curs—get them off-planet and to safety.
She just needed to convince Liara or Graydon of the conspiracy she’d overheard. Jin would have recorded the two as soon as he realized the significance of what they were hearing, but she didn’t know if it would be enough given the Tuann’s aversion to most human technology.
She flicked her hand at Jin, telling him to follow before she turned and headed down the hallway. She moved quickly and silently, not wanting to draw attention—now, more than ever. Jin glided after her without question.
Their path took them into one of the numerous carefully tended rooftop gardens. Only then did Kira judge it safe enough to speak.
"Tell me you located the Curs this afternoon," she said.
"Of course, I did. Who do you think you’re talking to?"
"A drone with more attitude than sense."
He blew a raspberry before taking the lead. "Just follow me."
They moved swiftly through the Citadel, Jin signaling her to hide whenever his sensors picked up evidence of other Tuann.
Their journey ended not far from the suite they shared with Graydon and his oshota.
"Last time there were two guards on the door," Jin said.
"What about the window?" The room had an exterior wall. Chances were there was a window.
"Guarded too," he said.
"Damn." Of all times for Roderick to actually display an aptitude for his job, it had to be now.
She could take out the guards, but it would alert the rest to danger as soon as the shift changed. That could be five minutes from now or five hours.
If she had the time, she would have chosen a spot from which observe the guards, pick up their habits, their comings and goings, their communications, whether they used a challenge and response, or if they were laxer with security.
Time was one thing she didn't have. The two co-conspirators could come for the Curs at any moment.
"There's an extensive network of small passageways in the ceiling. They're like the furnace ducts humans put in their homes except they're made of stone, are considerably less dusty, and would fit a full-grown person," Jin offered.
Kira curled her lip at him. Small spaces. She hated them with an undying passion. Left to her preferences, she'd avoid them. However, circumstances dictated going outside her comfort zone.
"Or you can ask someone to pull rank and order them away," Finn said from behind them.
Kira froze, giving Jin big eyes that asked, “What the hell?”
He made a strangled sound. "I didn't sense him. I swear."
Kira turned slowly to find Finn glaring at both of them, his mouth a thin line of disapproval.
"One of the first techniques an oshota learns is how to disguise their passage from any and all," Finn said. "That includes inferior human technology."
Jin bristled. "There's nothing inferior about me, meat sack."
"You're welcome to test yourself against me," Finn offered coldly. "I would be happy to teach you the error of your ways."
"No, you're not doing this now," Kira hissed when Jin started toward Finn.
Sometimes her friend had all the impulse control of a toddler.
"Would you like to explain why you're standing outside this room?" Finn asked, his expression deadly. “I know the commander has already forbidden you from contact.”
Kira studied him, mentally calculating her options. She'd seen him on the obstacle course. Taking him down silently and unnoticed would be difficult.
Trusting him didn't feel like an appealing option either. He was part of the House actively trying to kill her. He could well be part of the conspiracy.
"Jin, play the recording for him," Kira said.
Trust needed to start somewhere and there was no way he was going to unbend enough to let her go on her merry way. Not without a fight guaranteed to attract any Citadel guards in the vicinity.
She watched him carefully as Alma and the other woman's voice came through. His face went blank, his head tilting as he listened. Fury grew in his expression as he realized what the two women planned.
By the time the recording had finished, his normal impenetrable mask had dropped, and a predator stared at her.
Kira's stomach tightened, the primal fear people experienced when facing the thing in the dark sinking deep.
It answered the question of whose side he was on.
"You're here to get the humans out," he guessed, his voice flat.
"They're vulnerable here," Kira said. "I have to get them to safety before I can consider doing anything else."
He fell silent, staring off into the distance. Finally, he shook his head as a gruff sound escaped him. "Where do you think they'll go? Luatha controls the airspace. There's no way to get them off-planet. The defensive net would rip them to shreds."
"We send them into the forest. They only need to hide long enough for us to expose the conspiracy," Kira argued.
"We should inform Graydon," Finn argued. "The defense network affects more than just the Luathans. Bringing it down would leave all of our worlds vulnerable."
Kira understood his loyalty. Graydon held an authority Finn recognized and trusted. Kira was tempted to agree, the idea the commander was part of this too terrible to contemplate.
She shook her head. No. She couldn't take the chance. They didn't know how far this conspiracy went.
"Can you guarantee beyond any shadow of a doubt Graydon has no part in this?" Kira asked.
He couldn't. No one could. Right now, the only person she trusted completely and utterly was Jin. They'd gone through too much to do anything else. The Curs she trusted to a lesser extent, but only because she knew their motives.
"He is the Emperor's Face," Finn said as if that explained everything.
"Empires have been brought down before by those in trusted seats of power," Jin pointed out.
Finn's lips tightened. "Not the Tuann. Not Graydon. I would trust him with my life—and yours."
Conviction thrummed in his words. His expression said he wouldn't give in on this point. Kira didn't know the players well enough to judge. It was obvious his history with Graydon went deep—perhaps as deep as hers did with Jin and the Curs.
"At least let me get the Curs out," Kira bargained, sensing she was losing him. If he really decided Graydon needed to be informed first, there would be little she could do.
"Alma and her people could come for them while we're wasting time finding Graydon," Kira argued. She needed him to agree. "My people have no weapons and stand little chance against warriors in synth armor."
Finn looked torn, her argument swaying him. He scowled.
"We're already here," Jin added. "We'd waste valuable time backtracking, assuming Graydon's where we left him."
"Which is unlikely given someone's disappearance," Finn said, shooting a meaningful look Kira's way.
She shrugged, unconcerned. "If I hadn't needed some time to myself, I never would have overheard their scheme."
Not entirely true, but close enough.
"Fine, we'll do it your way," Finn said, his dark eyes piercingly intense.
Kira breathed a sigh of relief.
"But at the first sign of danger, I want you out of there," he said, pointing a finger at her.
She nodded. If an empty promise made him feel better, she'd give him all the empty promises he needed.
"I must have done something to anger the commander for him to suggest you to me," Finn said with a sigh.
"Why did you accept?" Kira asked as they moved toward the guards.
"Because my choices were limited. It was either act as your guard or sit around for another hundred years feeling invisible," Finn said. "Oshota are meant to protect their Houses. To be of no use to them is like living a life with no color."
"Empty and meaningless," Kira said in a soft voice.
Finn looked at her, understanding in his expression. "No one to care if you disappear or not. No one to care for or take comfort from."
Kira nodded. That's exactly what it felt like to exile yourself. Finn was an outcast in Luatha. It was more painful in its own way, to look at what you'd lost every day and know you were no longer part of it.
Kira had gotten off easy in that sense. When she'd left the Curs and her life with Centcom, she hadn't looked back or allowed herself to remember what had been. She focused everything on the salvaging business and told herself she didn't miss what she'd given up.
It was a lie, but she'd believed it enough to survive, never realizing that surviving was only the first step to living.
Being here, seeing her cousin and the Curs had reminded her of what it was like to live again, to laugh and cry, to feel sorrow and pain. It wasn’t always pretty but she felt like she’d been wrapped in cotton and was only now experiencing things again. She didn't know how she was going to return to the isolation of the Wanderer when it came time.
They rounded the corner to find four guards standing sentry in front of the room—two wearing black, the other two in green.
Finn called a greeting in Tuann.
They looked from him to where Kira stood behind him, Jin hovering over her shoulder. Boredom and disinterest showed on the faces of Roderick's men. Those in black remained wary, their expressions cautious as they frowned at them.
"Why is she here?" the Luathan soldier asked in Tuann.
Jin’s translation program was running, allowing her to understand most of what was being said.
"She needs to see the humans," Finn said crisply.
"She doesn't have permission," the same soldier from before replied.
Noor and Isla exchanged a glance, something in Finn's posture or presence alerting them.
They shifted to the side, keeping the other two guards in sight. Their hands lowering toward the en-blades at their sides.
Neither Luathan guard noticed the movement, but Jin and Kira did.
Jin rose a little so he'd have a better vantage point and room to maneuver. Kira edged back, not wanting to be in the line of fire.
"She doesn't need Roderick's permission. The Emperor's Face will allow the visit," Finn said smoothly.
The man and woman exchanged a glance, then turned to Finn, hostility peeking through.
"He is not Luathan," the woman said in a flat voice. "He does not command us."
Jin bobbed overhead, drawing her attention as he asked silently if she wanted him to take care of them.
Kira hesitated. She'd like to avoid violence if possible. There was no reason to assume these two were part of the conspiracy. Once they used force, there was no going back.
She held up two fingers at her side. It was a signal to wait and see.
Finn sighed and shook his head. "As long as I've been here, you'd think I'd learn. You lot always do things the hard way."
The two frowned in confusion. Finn lashed out, grabbing one and jerking him forward. The other drew her blade, a startled cry escaping. Isla kicked it out of her hand, following up with a brutal punch to the throat. The woman dropped to the ground choking.
Isla leaned over, lifting her, then slamming her head into the ground. The guard sagged unconscious in her grip.
Finn straightened from where he'd already rendered his opponent unconscious.
Kira glared at the bodies. Guess Finn hadn't gotten the message they were hoping to avoid unnecessary violence.
"This was your grand plan?" Kira asked, spreading her hands to indicate the two unconscious guards. "Knock them out?"
"It worked," Finn said.
Kira gave him a disgusted look.
"Good god, it's like stumbling into a planet of Kira clones," Jin murmured.
"If I wanted to knock them out, I could have done it myself," Kira said. "Now I can't ask them questions to determine if they're part of this."
"Would either of you like to explain why we just assaulted these guards, possibly signing our own death warrants and starting a war between Luatha and the emperor?" Noor asked in an irritated drawl.
"Play him the recording," Finn ordered as Kira moved to the door and swung it open.
She stepped into the other room as Jin brought the two up to date. There was a tight feeling in her chest, that loosened when Jace glanced up.
None of the relief she expected to see was in his expression—only denial and anger.
"Please tell me you aren't this stupid," he said.
She stopped in the doorway and cocked her head. "Not really the greeting I was expecting."
"We were fine," Jace snapped. "They hadn't hurt us and weren't going to. You've destroyed any chances of the alliance withstanding this debacle."
Kira raised her eyebrow at him as she sauntered into the room, taking in the rest. All the Curs were here. Nova sat up from where he had stretched out on a couch, and Maverick turned from the window he’d been staring out, hands in his pocket.
Next to him, Blue straightened from her bench, hastily trying to disguise the odds and ends beside her.
The faint glow on some rods told her Blue had used her time to take apart a few pieces of Tuann technology to examine.
Tank and Raider walked in from the other room, their expressions hard to read.
"That's some thank you you're working up to," Kira observed.
Jace let out a frustrated sigh. "At least tell me you didn't kill them."
Kira raised her hands. "I didn't lay so much as a finger on them."
Finn and Noor dragged the two unconscious Luathans into the room.
Jace stared pointedly at them and then raised his eyebrows, silently asking if she'd like to try that lie again.
"I didn't. I swear," Kira said, feeling a touch of amusement at the situation. She wasn't the cause this time. Jace and the rest would be able to claim ignorance of any offense.
Jin zoomed in. "Strange as it seems, she's telling the truth. Finn and the two giants in black did all the heavy lifting. All she did was stand there."
Jin's assurance seemed to reassure him. Jace relaxed slightly, although worry set in quickly.
He wasn't dumb. He might half-believe Kira would wreck a chance for alliance by attacking Luathan guards in the misguided notion she was helping him—she really wasn't that foolhardy or brash—but there was no way Finn or the other Tuann would have helped her.
Which meant there were only a few reasons for her presence here. None of which were the sort you wanted to consider.
"We need to go," she said. "Right now."
Jace didn't argue, picking up on some of her urgency. He looked at his people. "Let's move."
Finn backed into the room quickly. "This way is no longer an option."
"All the windows are guarded," Blue said quickly.
Kira gave the three Tuann a considering look. They'd been so handy in disposing of the first two guards. No reason they couldn't do the same to the ones outside the window.
Finn shook his head, already guessing where her thoughts were going. "I'd like to avoid harming any more Luathans than we already have."
"Perhaps now is a good time for you to break down the situation for us," Jace said.
"Maybe later. Suffice it to say, the Tsavitee are here, they're working with the Tuann and all of us are first on their to-do list."
"We knew that," Jace said.
"Not the last part," Blue corrected.
"They're also planning to bring down the defense grid. Tonight," Kira finished.
Jace nodded, his lips tightening. "Good enough. Blue, show them our exit strategy."
"Roger that," Blue said, grabbing several of the items she'd tucked under her leg before scrambling over to a decorative table.
"What are you doing?" Isla asked.
"She's going through the vents," Jin said, sounding impressed.
Blue shot him a crooked smile. "Right you are, Tin Man. They go on for miles and are big enough even Tank can fit through if he doesn't mind crawling."
"The escape tunnels," Finn said thoughtfully. "They're a defensive feature of the Citadel."
"Are they safe to travel through?" Kira asked.
He nodded slowly, his mouth set in a thoughtful frown. "Yes, as long as we don't linger. They're an escape route if the Citadel is overwhelmed and its people need a hidden way out. They've never been used."
"Stupid of Roderick not to have placed someone up there to make sure his prisoners didn’t use them," Kira said.
"I doubt he remembers they're there. Most Luathans don't. They've fallen out of fashion."
Isla and Noor traded glances, a faint trace of scorn in their expressions. Kira agreed. A good head of security would have made it his business to search out any potential security threats and neutralize the danger they presented. That he hadn't was good news for them, bad news for the Luathans.
Blue finished fiddling with her device. There was a hissing sound and then the red glowing outline of a square appeared on the ceiling.
Seconds later a giant chunk of it fell to the ground with a crash.
"Let's move, people. They would have heard that," Jace ordered.
Outside Kira could hear the sound of running footsteps as voices shouted in Tuann. The door rattled against the furniture Finn and the other Tuann had secured against it.
Tank and Raider went first followed by Blue and Jace.
"You're next," Finn told her.
"Let the rest through first. I'll bring up the rear."
He gave her a sharp smile. "I don't think so."
Before she could protest, he grabbed her and lifted her easily up to the ceiling. Not willing to argue when they lacked time and because she was already up there, Kira grabbed hold and pulled herself up.
Jin tucked himself in after her, his running lights illuminating the shadowy space.
Jace and the others had already started moving, giving those following room. Kira crawled after them.
Blue and Jin had misled them about the size of the escape tunnels. They were little more than a narrow crawl space, setting off every claustrophobic instinct Kira had.
Her head didn't quite brush the ceiling as she moved forward, but it was close. She couldn't imagine how much worse it was for Tank or the Tuann behind her who both dwarfed her.
"You would think they could have made these a little bigger given how tall they are," Kira muttered as she neared Jace's feet.
"Only children and those who can't fight would have used these," Finn said.
Kira glanced to see if everyone had made it into the ceiling tunnel, but couldn't see past Finn's bulk.
Kira faced ahead again and wiggled forward. They wouldn't be able to stay in these long. Crawling this way took effort and stamina. She made it less than the length of one hallway before she had to rest again.
She reached behind her and wrestled with her dress, pulling its length out of the way. Again.
She’d loved the way it had looked when she’d been going to a party. Now, while crawling through a small tunnel, tripping on it every other second, not so much.
There was a loud rip as she tore the bottom off near her knees. That should make moving a little easier.
“Phoenix is getting naked,” Raider taunted from up ahead.
“You try crawling around this place lugging a bunch of extra fabric,” Kira whisper-hissed back.
There were a couple of chuckles as they all rested. Soft panting filled the air.
"You can see why these fell into disuse," Finn said in a strained voice.
Kira nodded, trying not to feel like the walls were caving in around her. She hated tight spaces. She'd deal, but her stomach would be a tight mass of nerves until she was out.
"We need to get out of these tunnels," Kira said. "They're going to know we're using them. It won't be long before they send people up here to search us out."
They’d traveled several branches already in the short period they'd been up here so it might take a while for Roderick's people to find them. Still, Roderick might get lucky.
"Find us an exit point, Tank," Jace said in a low voice.
There was a low grunt from ahead.
After a few more minutes of crawling, Tank signaled he'd found something. With Finn calling out instructions on how to find the access panel, they didn't have to resort to burning their way out.
Kira lowered herself into a deserted room, the Curs having already secured it. She dropped to the floor and straightened, looking around in curiosity. Beakers and oddly shaped items were strewn throughout.
Raider folded his arms and leaned against a table, crossing his ankles. "What's the game plan? Do you have one?"
All eyes turned toward Kira, identical questions in their expressions.
She rubbed her hands on the remnants of her dress, thinking.
"Step one was making sure you weren't a stationary target," she said. "I'm working on step two."
"We could steal a ship. Fly it out of here," Raider suggested.
Noor snorted. "This isn't one of those human holovids. Stealing a Tuann ship isn't that easy or else your kind would have dozens of them by now."
"The ships are coded to us," Finn said quietly. "You won't be able to even open the doors let alone get one off the ground.
"Not to mention the defense grid would shoot any unauthorized ship that took off from the planet," Noor said.
"What about this defense grid you say these people plan to bring down?" Blue said, tilting her head.
"There's an idea," Jace said.
The Tuann frowned in confusion.
"What is?" Isla asked.
"We wait until it falls and then we fly ourselves out of here," he said, folding his arms over his chest.
"You lack a ship," Finn reminded him.
"But we have you," Jace pointed out.
Raider straightened, an evil grin lighting up his face. "And as you said, the ships are coded to your kind."
"I'm needed here," Finn said through gritted teeth. "I have no intention of helping you escape."
Raider watched Finn carefully, his expression considering.
"Don't even think it," Kira warned.
The rest looked at her.
"You attack him, and you'll have to deal with me," she told Raider. "That's if these three don't kick your ass first."
Raider made a tsking sound before settling.
"Some loyalty you have there," Noor said, eyeing the human with dislike. "We're the reason you escaped."
"Don't fool yourselves," Raider said. "We had an exit strategy within fifteen minutes of being placed under guard."
"This isn't our fight," Blue said bluntly. "It's yours. Can't blame us for wanting to make it home in one piece."
"Your people have certainly done the same in our place," Tank observed. "Or did you forget how four of your kind snuck out of Atlas during the bombing. They could have helped those people. They didn't because they deemed their own safety more important."
The Tuann glared at the humans.
Kira stepped in before things could degenerate further. "You're not going to overpower these three, so give it up."
Jace's expression darkened. She took it as a good sign when he didn't argue. It meant he hadn't been seriously considering that path.
"But it does make sense to split up," Kira continued. "I know Himoto has a ship out there. Signal it and let them know what's happening. We may have need of them. If nothing else, they can send a drop ship for you if things get too heated."
Jace's nod was grudging. He'd probably have come up with the plan himself if he wasn't so bent on antagonizing the Tuann
"Send one of your people as guide with the Curs. The rest of us will find Graydon and warn him," Kira said. She looked at Finn. "You're so convinced he won't betray us—prove it."
Finn nodded, flicking his fingers at the other two. Kira waited as they dipped their heads in agreement.
The two groups began splitting apart as they prepared to separate.
Jace walked toward her. He hesitated when he reached her, his back to the Tuann. "What will you be doing while the rest of us are trying to prevent an invasion?"
Kira debated how much to tell him. In the end, she decided to keep her plans to herself. There was too much risk he'd try to stop her. "I'll be doing the same."
The look he bent on her said he didn't believe her, but he didn't plan on wasting time by arguing.
"Good luck with whatever scheme you've cooked up," he said.
"You too," Kira said. "Try to make it out of this in one piece."
He gave her a crooked smile. "Somehow I think you'll be the one in more danger."
True.
Jace didn't move for a long moment. Kira could tell he wanted to say something and waited, her expression curious but patient.
He sighed and shook his head. "Try not to die or disappear again. There are things I need to say to you."
She didn't speak for several moments, her throat tight with suppressed emotion. She jerked her head in an affirmative.
He nodded, hiding any emotion before ducking his head outside the door and looking each way.
"Coast is clear. We're Oscar Mike."
Blue and Tank followed seconds after him.
Raider stopped next to her. He sighed and shook his head. "You don't have to do whatever you're planning."
Kira's smile was humorless. "Yeah, I kind of do. I have promises to keep."
He gave her a long look before sighing again. He adjusted the makeshift pack he was carrying and started to follow the rest.
"Raider," Kira said before she could stop herself.
He looked at her, the normal sly sarcasm there in his expression.
"Keep your head on the swivel," she said. It was what they'd told each other every time they left on a mission. It was a reminder to stay alert and on task, and not take stupid risks.
"Try to keep your powder dry." He gave her a small chin jerk before stepping through the doorway, his posture changing to wary alertness as he disappeared after the rest of the Curs.
Noor stole after him, the oshota’s passage silent.
She stayed where she was, wishing she could go with them, while realizing it never got easier sending your team into danger.
At least, she wasn't sending them onto a battlefield this time.