This man was different. But twelve years had a way of changing people.
"The war has been over for nine years. Where have you been all this time?"
She shrugged. "Here and there."
He nodded, the slight ticking at his jaw revealing his emotions.
He touched the force field again, turning it clear. "O'Riley Station thanks you for your quick and decisive actions. Your intervention undoubtedly saved the lives of those children and countless others."
The words were said by rote, as if part of a formal statement he'd memorized.
He stepped aside and gestured at the door. "We apologize for any inconvenience this experience has caused you."
Kira was slow in lifting herself out of her seat. That was it? She'd expected more.
The Tuann leader straightened, confusion on his and his people’s faces.
Kira didn't look back as she made her way to the door.
"Kira."
She paused and turned her head toward him.
He jerked his chin at Jin lying inert on the table. "Aren't you forgetting something?"
Right.
"Come on, Jin."
Jin booted up and lifted from the table, showing no signs of being the worse for wear from being in a device designed to make it impossible for him to power himself on.
Jace didn't seem particularly surprised at the feat. But then again, he wouldn't be, given his history with the two of them.
Kira walked to the door and waited for Jace to open it. There was a long pause where she thought he'd changed his mind about letting them go.
"Don't even think of leaving the station," he said as the door slid open.
Whatever response she'd planned was forestalled as she found her way blocked by a mountain. Her words died in her throat as her head tilted, surprise preventing her from retreating from the dangerous creature in front of her.
A pair of irritated, stormy gray eyes stared at her from a face chiseled from granite. A thin slash of a mouth was the one hint of displeasure in the man's expression.
His dark hair hung loose, complementing his stubborn jaw and the sharp angles of his features. He had an athletic body, long, but built like a tank from what she could see in his synth armor.
His and Kira's gazes locked. She caught her breath at the raw charisma oozing out of every pore. This was a man used to giving orders and having them obeyed. He was a force of nature given form, implacable and demanding.
He had the same ageless quality as the guard's captain, but in him, it was magnified. He was power and fury, an oppressive weight lingering in his gaze as he frowned down at Kira.
She remained motionless, tempted to back down and clear the way for him. She resisted, something inside refusing to bow.
She waited, her expression unyielding as he lingered in the doorway. She wasn't going to be the first to move.
Finally, something in him relented, and he stepped aside.
She stepped out, brushing past him, her senses heightened like she'd danced along death's dagger and barely escaped with her life.
She almost froze again at the sight of five more like him crowding the hallway. Only Jace calling out to the stranger made her come unstuck.
She marched toward the desk and Ensign Waverly.
