She landed softly, crouching and half crawling out of the opening she'd made.
"Not a word," Kira ordered as Graydon's shoulders started to shake.
She stalked over to Lathan, thrusting the J1N into his arms. "Keep an eye on him. Don't let him wander around until we get him fixed."
Lathan's face held a faint touch of amusement as he nodded.
Kira startled as the lenacht popped out of his hood. "When did Pallas hand him off?"
Lathan patted his companion. "A little while ago."
The lenacht paid no attention to their conversation as she spotted the J1N. Scrambling out of Lathan's hood, she perched on the drone's casing.
"What the hell is that?" Doug asked, drawing closer.
"Nothing you need to concern yourself about," Kira said, taking the J1N and the lenacht out of Lathan's hands and setting them in the hood of his cloak.
She drew it up, ensuring both were covered before sharing a look with him.
The Tuann she knew were notoriously distrusting of humans. Normally, Kira would argue in humanity's defense, but in this instance, she agreed. The lenacht was a mystery that humans were better off never discovering.
Kira had too much experience with their greed to risk exposing its existence.
Had she known they'd encounter anyone but Odin, she would have recommended Lathan and the lenacht remain on the ship.
"Come on, Doug," Brie ordered. "Let's show our guests the way." To Kira, "Do you need to collect your friend?"
Kira hesitated, glancing at Lathan in question. His neutral expression offered her no clues.
Kira shook her head. "No, he has a tendency to wander. I'm sure he'll return when it suits him."
She just hoped he didn't kill anyone in the meantime.
"Alright, stay close then. The footing is treacherous in this area," Brie ordered before taking the lead.
"This should be fun," Graydon drawled as Brie’s companions flanked them, fully surrounding her and the other two.
Kira rolled her eyes before glancing at Lathan. "You going to be okay?"
"You don't need to worry about us. Wandering is a part of the process. You cannot find a home if you never seek it," he said as he passed her.
Kira fell in beside him. "How very philosophical of you."
"I'm no stranger to humans either." Seeing her surprise, Lathan's smile grew a touch wider. "There aren't a lot of places a wanderer is welcome. The Tuann Houses distrust us. The Haldeel are cautious in our presence because they know what we're capable of. Human territory is one of the few places where we're not judged as soon as we step outside of our ship."
They traveled past a copse of trees and up a steep incline.
"I was present during humanity's war with the Tsavitee. A few of us were, actually," Lathan volunteered.
"I didn't know that," Kira said with a frown.
"It was only towards the end and our participation was kept hidden by the Consortium's military. By the time some of us joined, the tide had already started to turn," Lathan admitted. "I can see why you like humans, though. There's something about them. They have a zeal the Tuann lack."
That was it exactly.
For all their faults, humanity had a drive to ascend that Kira hadn't seen anywhere else. They were greedy and short sighted, but they also possessed a nobility of spirit. Able to sacrifice themselves for one another without a second thought.
She'd seen the best they'd had to offer. And also, the worst.
Despite that, she couldn't tell which of those traits were more common. It was what made them so fascinating.
"How did you end up with Pallas?" Kira asked, curious in spite of herself.
They were such a strange duo. Pallas wasn't exactly mentor material. Not because he didn't possess the talent either. Kira would wager he was every bit the warrior Graydon was. It was just that he lacked patience and the necessary attention span to guide others.
"He's not what you think he is," Lathan informed her.
"You mean crazy? Because I'm pretty sure he is."
She had the scars to prove it too.
"Some say the Phoenix is insane. That loss drove her out of her mind." Lathan peered at Kira out of the corner of his eye. "Is that true?"
"I take your point."
"Pallas is complicated. I'm not saying he doesn't have his demons, but the man I know?" Lathan's smile was a thing of beauty. "I'd lay down my life for him."
With one final nod at her, Lathan's pace quickened. Kira let him go.
Graydon fell back to join her as Brie crested the hill with her companions. "Find out anything?"
"Not even close."
"Should I be worried?" Graydon asked.
"I'm not sure yet."
They reached the top of the hill, the terrain on the other side coming into view.
Kira's expression changed.
"What is it?" Graydon's gaze went from Kira to the vista before them. His brow furrowed in confusion. "Are those ships?"
A raw sound left Kira. "It's the Vega."
Kira's former home. And the final resting place for many of her friends.
Sixteen
"How is this possible?" Kira asked The Vega should be drifting amidst an asteroid field comprised of debris from the moon while making its way through the system. Not sitting on Rothchild as if the ship's demise had been nothing more than a clever illusion meant to torment her.
Even with the snow banks piled up against the ship's side, there was evidence of a crash. A trail of broken trees and deep grooves in the ground that extended at least half a mile. Maybe more. It had left the ship's nose and belly half buried in the ground. Holes riddled the exterior, making it look like the Swiss cheese of old Earth. A large section in the aft was missing. There was also an easily discernible, vertical crack running right up its middle. As if someone had taken the ship and broken it in half.
Kira shook her head. "The military never authorized a recovery mission."
"They didn't. Rothchild did." Brie glanced at her. "It was important to us to bring the Vega and her crew home rather than leave them up there with the enemy."
Kira forced the stinging in her eyes away. "You recovered the bodies?"
"Some. Not all."
Hope squeezed Kira's throat, making her voice strained and tight. "The Curs?"
Brie's expression extinguished the hope that had just started to bloom. Kira didn't need the shake of her head that followed.
Of course they hadn't been able to recover her friends' bodies. If that had been even a remote possibility, she or Jin would have done it themselves by now.
It was likely there was nothing left to recover.
"I'm sorry. We weren't able to locate them." Brie nodded to the trees off to the right of the Vega. "We built a monument to memorialize everyone’s sacrifice."
Graydon's hand slipped into Kira's as Brie moved away. He used his hold to tug her closer. She let her weight rest against him as she stared at the Vega.
Graydon pressed his lips against the side of Kira's head. "You still with me?"
Kira's laugh was more of a sob. Her defenses crumpled as she slumped against Graydon's side. A tiny shake of her head was all she could manage.
All the progress she'd been so proud of was undone with a single glimpse of the Vega.