"Yes."
"Then you should be able to turn the defense off or at least point them toward the enemy," the commander said in a strident voice.
Kira's head tilted. "Impossible."
"What do you mean impossible?"
"Incident down here. Overlord set defenses. Can't be undone."
"Then find her," he shouted.
"Not possible."
There was another length of silence as she could feel him considering, weighing her words.
"Are you Luathan?" he asked suspiciously.
Kira chuckled. "No."
"The enemy then," he said it as a statement. There was resignation in his voice.
"Not the enemy," Kira said.
She could feel his interest. The longer she stood near the Nexus, the more she thought she understood it. Graydon had said it was controlled by the strength of your mind and will.
That was before the Tsavitee had run their lines and hijacked the link. She might not know Tuann tech, but she knew Tsavitee technology.
It might be enough.
She wasn't weak-willed. She might be able to help the ship above, or she might burn her brain up trying.
She paused. Would Liara consider being brain-dead a breach of their promise?
The concern floated away as quickly as it had come. Emotions were fleeting and hard to reach, locked behind a barrier of ice.
"Stand by, trying something," she told Kai.
"Of course, it's not like I'm going anywhere. There's just a warship heading my way," he said sarcastically.
Kira stepped onto the platform and waited. A force clamped on her mind, slicing through any natural barrier she might have had like it was butter.
She grunted at the feeling, gritting her teeth as she rode the pain. It was easier in this form, insulating her from the worst of it.
When it eased slightly, she found her mind split. Half of it was high above, standing on the bridge of a Tuann ship. The rest was standing in the stone room, her expression frozen.
She lifted her hand and stared at it as the Tuann near her jolted back, their eyes wide. She ignored them as she rotated her hand, fascinated by the slight translucence. She held up her other arm, seeing the same ghostly, insubstantial effect, her body shimmering in and out of view.
Someone cleared their throat next to her. She looked up to find the captain’s eyes fastened on her, his gaze nonplussed.
He seemed to be able to see her. Fascinating.
She dropped her arms. "Can't bring down the defenses without risking the planet."
And she wouldn't do that.
He shut his eyes. "Then we're dead."
"Not necessarily," Kira said.
