Poof. Gone.
The pain that flooded in felt almost as fresh as that first day.
Graydon wrapped his arms around her and set his chin on the top of her head. "We're going to get through this, coli."
Kira rested her cheek on his chest. "Every time I think I've conquered this, something happens to draw me right back."
"That's the thing about grief. It's reluctant to release you from its grasp."
The soothing rumble of Graydon's voice under her ear was comforting.
"I wish I could bring them home."
She hadn't realized just how much until she saw the Vega.
"They already are, coli." Graydon pulled back, tapping her head and then her chest. "You carry them with you wherever you walk. Hasn't the Mea'Ave taught you at least that much?"
Kira's laugh was watery. "You sound so corny right now."
But he was right. She did carry the Curs with her. The crew of the Vega too.
She'd found that weight unbearable once. No more. They were her reason for standing. They'd be proud of what she was doing. Going after Jin and Elena despite the odds. They'd think she was crazy, but they'd be right there with her if she'd asked.
"Better?" Graydon asked, his eyes steady on Kira as she pushed herself upright.
Her nod was short as she gave his hand one last squeeze. "I might need you again before this is over."
"Anytime, cheva nier. You know that."
She was beginning to.
There were only a handful of people Kira had ever been willing to lean on in tough times. Just three, in fact. One of whom was no longer as trustworthy as she'd once been.
Graydon was different though.
He'd become as important as Jin. Her bond with him cherished every bit as much.
It was strange how someone she'd known for such a short time could become as interwoven into the pattern of her soul as Graydon was.
But he had.
She thanked every higher entity out there that her mountain had withstood every test she'd put him through to remain by her side. Not many would have bothered.
After a moment, Kira straightened, patting Graydon's chest before stepping away. She caught Lathan watching them with an unreadable look on his face.
"Let's get moving," Brie called before starting down the hill.
Her trajectory led them away from the Vega and toward a clearing beside a set of trees that were growing in the ship's shadow.
"Where are you taking us?" Kira asked.
Brie nodded at the trees. "Our camp is set up over there."
"And that’s where Odin is?"
That seemed odd. It wasn't exactly the Sye's style. Odin wasn't a lover of nature. Or the cold.
"We'll get to that. But first—there's someone you should meet."
Kira stopped. "I'm here to find the All Father. Not sightsee."
"Why not do both?"
Brie increased her pace, putting distance between them. Kira almost lost track of her white shrouded figure in the snowy landscape.
"Why would your friend pick a place they knew would hurt you as their base?" Graydon asked as they worked their way carefully down the icy hill.
Kira nodded at the Vega. "I'm guessing that's why."
Before it had gone down, the Vega was best-in-class. It's mainframe and computing systems the most advanced the Consortium had to offer. Access to its systems would cut down considerably on the time needed to sift through the mountain of data Odin faced.
"I'm more curious about how I was kept in the dark with regards to Rothchild salvaging the Vega," Kira said.
Jin had to have known. Yet he didn't tell her.
She'd thought they didn't keep secrets from each other. At least not this sort. Turns out she may have been wrong.
"He could have been trying to protect you," Graydon pointed out.
"I've no doubt about that."
He'd done a lot of that since Rothchild, it seemed. Grateful as she was, she wished she hadn't given him reason to feel the need.
Graydon and Kira stayed quiet as they descended the hill and crossed a short distance to a clearing. Temporary structures dotted the area. Hard sided tents on top of rudimentary weather proof surfaces meant to protect against the snow beneath. Mobile campers that looked like they'd seen better days were parked next to them.
A large tent to the other side acted as the place's dining facility if the smells wafting from it were anything to go by.
Kira's stomach threatened to turn at the noxious odors. Humans and Tuann didn't share the same taste buds. Some things that humans loved to eat tasted awful to a Tuann.
Graydon and Lathan had similarly repulsed looks on their faces as they followed Kira to the bonfire crackling in the center of the clearing.
Brie stopped next to someone seated in a chair, bending over to give her report in a low voice.
The man leaned around Brie to shoot a surprised look at Kira. "As I live and breathe. Look who decided to grace us with her presence."
Kira blinked. "Diesel?"
A loud guffaw came from the man. "In the flesh." His lips quirked as he looked down at his lap. "What's left of it anyway."
Kira took in the empty place where his legs should have been. Everything from slightly above his knees on down was gone. A pair of robotic legs were propped up against his chair.
"Like my new legs?" Diesel patted the metal limbs. "At least the Consortium did one thing right for those who fought in that war. An artificially grown bio limb would have been better, but these aren't bad." He winked at Kira. "I made a few modifications, if you know what I'm saying. The only problem I have with them is that the cold can interfere with the bio feedback connections and cause frostbite where they connect to my body if I'm not careful."
"I thought you were dead. Reports said you were dead."
"I almost was."
Diesel settled himself more deeply into what Kira now realized was a makeshift hover chair. Those were anti gravs on the bottom. The buttons on the arm rests were what allowed him to drive it.
"I lost my legs in the process of abandoning ship. My transport was hit by debris. Ripped the back half right off. Luckily, the collision threw me into the forward section. Rapid decompression triggered the emergency hatch. Unfortunately, not all of my body was on the right side when that happened. The door severed everything from an inch above my knees."
Guilt choked Kira. "If I'd known—"
Diesel waved a hand, cutting her off. "It was touch and go for a while. It's no surprise I was reported deceased by mistake. The response team was overwhelmed. They did the best they could."
"Still—" Kira shook her head.
She should have been there.
Diesel was a friend every bit as important to her as the Curs. He'd been there that time she'd gotten demoted for punching a Consortium senator in the face for interfering in a mission. He'd been the first to shake her hand and tell her how satisfying it was to see her put that idiot in his place. There had been no recrimination. No talk of keeping her military bearing. Just acceptance and understanding.