It had taken several high profile battles to shut that nonsense down.
"I hear you faced similar challenges," Himoto said.
"Water under the bridge now."
If those people were already going after Lieutenant Himoto, they were probably also targeting Jace. Only his rank and the contacts he'd cultivated in Centcom's upper echelon would protect him somewhat.
He'd have to walk the straight and narrow for a time to avoid falling into any traps.
What that meant for Kira and her plans was the question.
Himoto's voice stopped Kira as she reached for the door of Jace's ready room. "My father told me you never believed the war was over."
Kira paused to look back at her. "Is that a question?"
"No question. Just a hope that the Phoenix's near future will be as glorious as her past."
Kira pulled open the door to the ready room. "I'm afraid your security clearance isn't high enough for me to offer a response to that statement."
"Exactly how I'd expect the woman my father raised to reply."
Without having to be asked, Finn moved to stand guard beside the door. His intention to remain outside clear.
Kira stared, barely believing her eyes. "What's gotten into you?"
His smirk was a little sinister. "I wasn't the only one who found your abrupt departure from the ship upsetting. Have fun in there."
"Get your ass over here, Nixxy," Raider called from inside the room. "We don't have all day."
"Ah, damn," Kira cursed, stepping inside the room and letting the door close behind her.
She knew what this really was now. An ambush.
Raider looked over from where he was slumped on the settee in the middle of the room. His arm was stretched over the back and one leg crossed over the other.
"You were supposed to meet me in Rothchild days ago," Kira informed him, going on the attack as she threw herself into one of the armchairs across from him.
The room was only half furnished. As if it had been thrown together as an afterthought. A flimsy-looking metal desk sat in one corner. A chair behind it. The walls lacked decorations. Not to mention paint.
Overall, it was one of the most bare-bones ready rooms she'd ever seen.
Jace stood in front of the only item in the room that could be called luxurious. A bar cart with several crystal decanters filled with various colored liquids.
Kira punched the cushion of her chair. "Where'd you get this chair?"
It was amazingly uncomfortable.
"Are you here to criticize my design choices?"
There was the clink of ice as Jace finished preparing a drink. He set the spoon he was using aside before snagging the three glasses of amber liquor.
Kira raised an eyebrow as he set the drink in front of her. "Alcohol? At a time like this?"
When an attack could come at any moment and from anywhere?
"Desperate times," Jace answered, taking the armchair across from her.
"What's going on?" Kira asked Raider as Jace took a large swig of his drink.
"Will you look at that, Nixxy poo?" the J1N crooned, drifting down from overhead. "We've finally driven our knight in shining armor to drink."
Jace regarded the J1N over the rim of his glass. "Its level of mimicry is simply amazing. Is that the work of that criminal you told us was dead?"
Kira cast a narrow eyed glare at Raider.
"Don't blame him, I figured out your friend's identity on my own," Jace said with a humorless smile. "Why did you tell Himoto and I they were dead?"
"Oops, I must have gotten it wrong all those years ago," Kira said flatly.
"I'm going to leave aside the fact you lied about that criminal. An action that predates Rothchild and your suspicion of a traitor in our ranks by several years to focus on what's really important." Jace put his drink down on the makeshift crate that was acting as an end table and leaned forward. "What's the plan, here, Phoenix? Do you have any idea how you're going to do this thing you're talking about? Because I asked Raider and he's a little vague on details."
"I have an inkling," Kira said, grudgingly.
A vague one at that.
Establishing the Tsavitee home world location was simply step one. It was what came after that was truly important.
That part she was still working on.
Jace groaned. "You two can't really expect me to authorize this."
"Why not? Himoto did it all the time."
Raider nodded, looking over at her. "Remember Idra? I so thought we were dead on that one."
Jace cut their trip down memory lane off with a sharp gesture. "Don't even think about it. I'm not sending my people on a suicide mission without a clear plan."
Kira gave him a sidelong look. "Does that mean you're planning on helping us?"
Jace looked away from her, tugging his ear in a gesture that usually meant he was feeling guilty about something. "It seems the Consortium have finally got their heads out of their collective asses. I've been ordered to dispatch my fleet to form a barricade around our core planets in an effort to protect them from the coming war."
Kira's snort held disgust. "You know that's a mistake."
The Consortium couldn't win with a defensive mindset. They needed to strike hard and fast. Sitting around and letting the enemy come to them would just result in massive casualties again.
"Protecting the idiots who put us in this position is a fool's errand," Raider said.
"I swore an oath," Jace said defensively. "Like it or not, I answer to Centcom. It is my duty and responsibility to follow their orders."
"Not me." Raider shook his head. "I'm not doing it. I'll resign my commission. I don't care what you do, but I'm going after Elise and Elena. Try and stop me."
Knowing he wasn't going to be able to get through to Raider, Jace switched his target to Kira. "Give me something. Do you have a location or plan?"
Kira flicked a glance at Raider, her jaw flexing as she gave a faint shake of her head. "No."
Jace picked up his drink and drained it. "Then you leave me no choice. Unless you have something concrete, the battle group flies out according to Centcom's wishes in eight hours." His gaze swung to Raider. "And you with it. Even if that means arresting you and placing you in the brig."
Twenty Four
Jace and Raider glared at each other. Neither willing to concede. If she left things as they were, Raider might get himself thrown into lock-up sooner rather than later.
"I guess I can't expect more than that," Kira said, breaking the tension.
"Kira!"
"He's got a point." Kira sent Raider a look, asking him to trust her. "We don't have a plan. Yet."
They were asking a lot of Jace. She could see why he wanted certain assurances before he threw his life and career away.
Unlike Raider, he didn't have a daughter or lover in danger. The only thing compelling him to help was his loyalty to them.
Kira made a point of not asking more of her friends than she thought they could give. This was skating dangerously close to her breaking that rule.
"Fine," Raider ground out.
Kira had no intention of letting Raider ship out with the rest of the battle group. If it came down to it, she'd use force to bring him with her.