"Ensign Waverly, please escort our guests to the containment room."
His aide gave a sharp nod before barking several orders.
"It's good to know you haven't changed a bit in all these years," Kira said sweetly. Her dark smile was anything but nice as she was led off.
*
The need for patiencehad been beaten into Kira at a young age. It was why she didn't particularly mind sitting in a small room on a metal chair, her friend a blind, silent presence on a table behind her.
To the casual observer, she would look like she was sleeping–body slumped, her chin on her arm, her other hand a few inches from the clear forcefield bisecting the room and separating the wizards from her. They'd miss her alert gaze, her eyes hidden by her hood which allowed her to study the people responsible for this whole mess without being seen.
The wizards’ leader stared at her from his side of the table, an intent look on his face as if he were trying to figure her out.
What could be seen of her face remained still, even as amusement filtered through her.
These men weren't your average guards. They were soldiers. She'd bet her life on it. She recognized the type from her own years in service to the human space force during the war with the Tsavitee.
They were a unit, anticipating orders not yet voiced. They moved like a well-oiled machine, indicating a long history with one another. She wondered what they were doing posing as guards for children.
Not that it really mattered. Not anymore. She'd left that part of her life far behind her, and she didn't intend to pick it up again.
The door to the room slammed open, drawing the attention of everyone except the leader whose gaze never lifted from hers.
Hm. So they didn't see Spitzy or any of his men as a true threat.
It was understandable, really. While Kira had spent several minutes being patted down, every item on her person confiscated for fear she might use them for some unknown purpose, the station's security had barely touched the wizards, giving them a cursory examination, which failed to uncover the blades Kira was sure were stored in their armor. She suspected they weren't the only weapons these men had.
She had to wonder how many other things security had missed.
Spitzy sauntered toward Kira, his heavy steps making him easy to track despite the fact she couldn't see him with her hood limiting her peripheral vision.
"I want to know what you were doing on that craft."
Kira held her silence.
The man in front of her finally looked away, staring at Spitzy with a glimmer of curiosity. So, the forcefield didn't block sound. That or the man could read lips. Which meant he probably understood at least a little of human standard.
Good to know.
Spitzy nudged her shoulder. "Do you hear me?"
The wizard’s leader frowned, the look in his eyes turning turbulent.
"You have the station's feeds," Kira said blandly. "Watch them. They'll tell you everything you need to know."
Spitzy was silent a moment, his anger sizzling through the air. "I could do that, but why waste my time?"
Kira's sigh was weary. She longed for the quiet peace of her ship. Dealing with hardheaded idiots had never been her idea of fun. Less so, since she'd spent the past few years around a very small number of people besides Jin. She could count on one hand the number of conversations she'd had outside theWanderer.
"We both know you don't have anything to hold me on."
He snorted. "Who's to say. Maybe the feeds all went haywire during the time in question."
The wizard’s forehead wrinkled, a frown crossing his face as thunder gathered in his eyes. The expressions on the rest turned slightly disgusted.
Kira almost felt sorry for Spitzy. If he wasn't on such a power trip, she might be tempted to clue him into the fact he was dangerously close to creating an intergalactic diplomatic incident his superiors wouldn't thank him for. If he continued in this vein, he'd be lucky getting a job as a convoy escort.
The faint sound of running came from outside, then the door slammed open letting in a babble of voices. For a brief second, a tall man with dark hair stood silhouetted in its frame, Spitzy's aide behind him, an expression of relief on her face.
