Turns out, they were right to be worried.
The battle resumed as theMcNeilbegan to break apart, venting atmosphere and water that froze instantly, creating a giant plume around it.
"You have this part right. TheMcNeilfalls early. Its death serves as a warning to the rest of the fleet," Kira said, circling the table, her gaze fixed on the battle taking place above her head.
"Outgunned and outmatched, they only have minutes to decide on a course of action." Kira stopped, facing Graydon. He listened; his thoughts unreadable. “The commander of theVega, Charles Berry, decides to lure the Tsavitee into a trap."
"How?" one of Roake's oshota asks.
"Only a few species of Tsavitee display executive functioning skills. Most are a slave to their desires. Enrage them. Distract them, and they're easy to manipulate."
"They wouldn't leave a force of that size to one of the lower forms," another oshota said.
"You're correct. A higher form always accompanies a force of this size. Sometimes it's a general; or it can be a mantis, skyling, or yellow, as we call them. The commander opens a channel to the lead ship and offers them something they've wanted for a while." Above Kira, theVegaslowly breaks off its attack, heading toward the moon.
Soft murmurs break out among those watching as the Tsavitee ships followed.
"On the moon was a temporary mining camp of a mineral called Smaralta, a compound known to be dangerous when combined with hydrogen. If exposed to heat, it will explode. The more heat, the bigger the explosion," Kira said. "While theVegaand theMcNeilbuy them time in the battle, the miners start flooding the shafts with hydrogen. They set charges throughout in the hopes of creating a big enough explosion to damage the Tsavitee ships."
TheVegacircled to face the Tsavitee warships.
"Unfortunately, no plan ever survives contact with the enemy. Those on the waveboards would have been in the path of the resulting debris. Exposed. Defenseless. Their armor would have been little protection; the debris would have shredded it. However, if they veered away to try to escape, they would have alerted the Tsavitee to the trap."
They weren't the only ones in the path of destruction either. TheVegaalso stood between the moon and the approaching force.
Above Kira, the moon exploded, a quarter of it disintegrating as a great plume of debris shot toward the ship and waverunners. Everything was destroyed.
Kira touched the small icon hovering in front of her. The battle scene faded, replaced by hundreds of photos with names under them.
Rheya stared at them in confusion.
"I thought you should know the faces of the people whose sacrifice you were so dismissive of," Kira said.
There was a frozen look on Rheya's face, as Kira walked away, the colored lights from the hologram playing over her as she stepped through two of her fallen friends. She felt almost brittle as she made her way to the door, past caring what anyone might think of her.
Jagged glass coated her throat as she fought to swallow dangerous emotions.
She needed be away from here before she did something she might regret.
*
The individual photographs scattered to reform into one large group photo. This one was different than the others, unposed. The people in it were relaxed and comfortable, their postures saying they were familiar with each other. Taken on the flight deck of a human destroyer, there were cargo containers and mechanic tools scattered all around.
That wasn't what drew Graydon's eye, however. It was the devil may care grin spread across Kira's face as she posed with a group of eight others. They looked happy—carefree, despite the rigors of war.
They wore uniforms, but were clearly individuals.
Raider had his arm slung around a woman who was half turned from the camera, a hat on her head, the only thing visible the curve of a wide smile. Blue stood on top of a crate holding a blow torch, her gaze directed at a man beneath her. Two others stood next to Kira, caught in mid-laugh.
"The Curs," Raider said with a sharp smile. "They were the ones who didn't turn away despite knowing it was likely to cost them their lives. The only reason Kira wasn't with them was because of an injury and dumb luck. It was her plan that led to the moon's destruction, the death of her squad, and seventy percent of theVega'screw," Raider said.
Rheya paled, understanding and guilt creeping into her expression.
Had Kira been raised Tuann, she would have been within her rights to issue a challenge over the ambush Rheya had launched. She could have demanded recompense. That she had annihilated Rheya's argument with simple words only served to highlight the maturity and wisdom she carried herself with.
Rheya was nearly mute as she shook her head. "I didn't know. I swear."
“How did you survive?” Indya asked.
