"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.