Pallas let out a sigh, twisting to face her. "You want to do this now? Okay. Might as well since we're going to be bosom buddies for the next little while. A chance to clear the air and everything. You want to hold the past against us? Turnabout is fair play. We didn't abandon you. You abandoned us first."
That wasn't fair.
"What did you expect me to do? Leave Jin there to die? He wouldn't have survived the punishment for our escape."
"Despite what you may think, none of the forty three has ever disagreed with your sacrifice in remaining behind to get Jin out."
Pallas's expression was unnaturally serious. He was always the one with a roguish smirk or grin. Even when something bad was happening, he never lost that devil-may-care attitude.
"It's what came after that was so disappointing," Pallas said.
"What are you talking about?"
"All those years, you never came looking for us. You forgot us. Your humans became the only thing you cared about.”
"That's not true," Kira corrected. "Jin and I thought you were dead. We saw the explosion. We heard the cannons. We never knew there was anything left to look for."
If they had, they would have searched and never stopped until they found the forty three again.
"We mourned you," Kira said with a catch in her voice.
Every day for years.
"We stole one of their ships and used it to cover our tracks. What you and Jin saw was the ambush Ryan and Alexander set and the cannons we fired."
"There was no way we could have known that," Kira defended.
"You might have. If you'd looked."
"There were bodies!"
She and Jin had been younger then. Not nearly as jaded and suspicious as their current incarnations. They hadn't yet learned to peer beneath the surface of things. To look at the discrepancies and through to the truth.
If this situation happened today, things would have been different. They would have left no stone unturned.
"Who told you that?" Pallas asked with a closed mouthed smile. "Himoto?"
Kira wavered, opening her mouth before closing it.
"You've always only seen what you wanted to see," Pallas said with a faint scoff, turning back to the console. "You did it with Elise. You do it with us."
A lifetime worth of hurt feelings and misunderstandings filled the silence that resulted.
Graydon rose, moving up beside Kira.
"Since we're in the mood to share, here's another secret, dear sister," Pallas said, looking up from the computer screen. "We went back for you that night. Himoto beat us to you by minutes."
Thirteen
Raider - Bay of the CSS Reliance
Raider strode down the Wanderer's ramp and into the landing bay of Jace's flagship, the CSS Reliance. The din of a military flight deck post battle instantly surrounded him. The loud bangs of mechanics working on the returning small winged fighters. Refueling them before directing them to their berths. The flight deck crew's shouts as they orchestrated their well-trained dance, accomplishing the necessary tasks in the least amount of time possible.
It was a familiar refrain that had followed Raider for the entirety of his adult life. Waveboard riders typically launched from the flight tubes located in the side of the ship, but they were no strangers to the flight deck. It was where they passed the time when on call. Those twelve hour shifts where they had to be ready at a moment's notice.
Raider hadn't spent as much time on this flight deck as he should have, but it didn't matter. At their heart, all of them were the same. Whether it was a battle cruiser or one of the smaller frigates, they had the same basic layout. The same sort of people serving on their deck.
Right now, those people were staring at Raider and his companions in curiosity. It wasn't every day that a civilian ship docked on a flight deck in the midst of a battle with the Tsavitee. Even more intriguing to them were the Tuann at Raider's side. A species most present had likely only ever heard about.
Raider's expression matched Wren and Finn's. Their faces stoic masks as they progressed across the deck.
Blue walked beside Raider, exuding dissatisfaction. "You're making a mistake. I hope you know that."
"It's good then that it's my mistake to make."
Blue muttered a few choice words that would have had her counseled for insubordination if someone other than Raider had heard them.
Raider gave her a closed mouthed smile that didn't reach his eyes. "You know, Blue. You don't have to make this mistake with me. If you can't do this, just tell me now."
It'd be better for him to know so he had time to make alternate plans rather than relying on her later and her not showing up.
Blue made a face. "Don't be stupid. Of course, I'm going to make it with you. I know what's at stake. I'm here to the end. Stupid plan or not. I just feel the need to let you know how much I dislike this."
Raider's expression eased. "Brat."
Blue stuck out her tongue at him.
Raider glanced at Wren. "How long until your people are in place?"
Wren's lips lifted in a faint smile. "When you need them, they'll be here."
Blue aimed a disgusted look at the Tuann. "Can you be any more enigmatic?"
The skin around Wren's eyes creased slightly. "It is a skill acquired with age."
Raider chuckled lightly under his breath. His father-in-law's humor was as sly as ever.
A dark haired man standing next to the flight deck's exit raised his hand at Raider in greeting. "Look who the cat dragged in. It's about time you two found your way home."
"Nova," Raider said, clasping the other's hand and giving him a brief one armed hug. "It's good to see you."
A Cur, like Raider and Blue, Nova was part of the new generation. Handpicked by Raider and Jace when Admiral Himoto decided to resurrect the unit a few years ago, he was a good waveboard pilot. One of the few who'd made the cut and survived the hellish training Raider required of each of his recruits.
"Not as good as it is to see you. Thanks for the chance to exercise, by the way. I've been itching to taste Tsavitee blood since we found out the alliance had ended."
Releasing Raider's hand, Nova cast a look at the Tuann standing nearby. "What's with the wizards? You haven't changed sides, have you?"
Raider's gaze cooled at the faint deprecation in the other's voice. "Where's Jace?"
Nova pointed behind him. "Waiting for you in his ready room."
Raider nodded, preparing to head there.
Nova stopped him with a raised hand. "About that—he instructed that the wizards wait here."
Raider stared the other Cur down.
Nova met his gaze with a bland expression. "Admiral's orders, boss man. You know how it is."
All too well. If Nova had orders, there was no getting around this.
Raider glanced at Wren.
His seon'yer nodded. "We'll wait for you here."
Nova smirked, looking the Tuann up and down. "Don't worry, boss man. I can keep an eye on your friends."
This idiot.
"Nova." Raider waited for the Cur to give him his full attention. "Let's not be stupid, shall we? Picking a fight with either of them will end poorly for you."
Nova's grin was foolhardy. "You know me, boss man."
Yes, Raider did. Hence the concern.