"If the situation were reversed and our people thought they could get away with it, they'd have this place wired from one end to the other. You know they would."
Jace grimaced. He couldn't argue with that. Kira would be surprised if Himoto or he hadn't put something in the common areas the Tuann frequented while on the station. She knew from conversations with Amila and Baran the Tuann had elected to sleep on their ship during their visit.
He nodded and pushed off the doorway.
"Jace, whatever you're up to, make sure you're smart about it," Kira said.
He gave her a wry smile. "I could say the same about you. I'm not the one chaos follows."
Fair enough.
He left without a backward glance, leaving Kira to get acquainted with her new surroundings.
*
Kira jolted awake froma restless sleep. The cobwebs of her nightmare still clinging to her—madness and death all around, the dying screams of her closest friends ringing in her ears.
For several moments, Kira stared up at the ceiling, disoriented. This wasn't her bunk on theWanderer. The bed was too comfortable and there was no soft gleam of the emergency lights.
Memories from over a decade ago filled her head. The dreams disjointed and illogical, as they recounted events out of order and gave her glimpses of scenes she'd never actually witnessed.
Failure tasted like ash on her tongue. The feeling in her chest tightened until it was an almost physical ache.
Kira lay still, letting her heart rate slow and her breathing steady.
It'd been a while since those dreams haunted her. She hadn’t missed them or the havoc they played on her mind. She blinked up at the ceiling, struggling not to feel crushed under the mountain of guilt she didn't know how to let go of.
Jace had a reason for his anger as did Raider. She couldn't even blame them for the harsh words. She'd abandoned them before the war even ended, disappeared without a word unable to live with all the things she'd done. For her own good—and theirs—she'd needed space and time to heal the wounds both inside and out.
Of the original Curs, the three of them were the last. Sad, that they felt more apart than ever.
She'd finish this mission, get them an “in” with the Tuann and make sure her departure didn't affect their treaty. Then she was gone. This time she would make sure she stayed gone.
Feeling calmer, she lifted her head and looked around the shadowy bedroom, the moon's silvery light turning it dreamlike.
She wasn't surprised when she saw no sign of Jin. He was probably off getting the layout of the place and sticking his metal in places the Luatha would dismantle him for, if they caught him.
Kira sat up and swung her feet out of the bed, feeling restless. Staying put and trying to sleep after one of those dreams was pointless. She'd just end up crabby and irritable in the morning. Better to get up and get moving, maybe tire herself out so she could try for sleep again later.
If nothing else, it would give her some quality alone time, a precious commodity since O'Riley.
The night air felt chilly against her skin as she stepped out onto the terrace, but not enough to send her inside. The stone under her bare feet was cool as she made her way to the railing. Steps to her right led down into a small garden, the start of the forest a few feet beyond its edge.
The night felt alive around her, making her forget the dream as she relaxed into its song. The sound of the wind moving through the trees, the rustle of branches, the calls of alien animals and insects, all making their own music.
It was totally different than what she was used to. Ships were by no means quiet places. There was always air hissing through the vents, the grumble of the engine, the creak of metal as the ship flexed around you.
She tilted her head and looked up. At least one thing hadn't changed. The stars still shone. Perhaps not as brightly or vividly, given the three moons dominating the sky, but they were there.
The sight eased the tight spot inside her chest. This was here. This was now. Some things might have changed, but others remained the same.
She was still Kira. A long-lost cousin and the people of her birth weren't going to change that. She needed to remember that.
She pulled out the communicator Jin had procured for her when she’d told him what she wanted. She powered it on.
I'm here. Stand by for next phase.
She sent the message and waited. She didn't have long before a message popped up.
