Devon moved to comply, for once not arguing. Kira struggled with impatience at his slowness, knowing he probably couldn't crawl any faster.
A bolt hit the sword, accompanied by a splintering noise. A large crack ran up the length of wood as the energy she'd deflected finally exceeded the practice blade’s capacity.
Kira cursed, grabbing one broken piece and flinging it into a waiting drone.
Weaponless and out of options, Kira settled into a defensive stance, bracing as she raised her arms to protect her vital spots, ducking behind them like a turtle in a shell.
Energy bolts hammered into her unprotected arms, pain shredding her nerve endings and stealing her breath.
Still, she didn't waver. She didn't fall.
She stood there, and she took it.
"I am Kira Forrest, and I do not break so easily," she told them.
Tough words when it took everything she had to remain standing.
Kira locked her knees, leaning into the laser fire, chanting an old mantra. Embrace the pain. Make it part of you. Yearn for it like you do a good cup of chai on a cold day.
When the body threatened to collapse, sometimes the mind had to step in and give it a swift kick in the ass.
She held on, fire eating away at her arms. Her mind gibbered an endless litany of "it hurts, it hurts, it hurts."
Kira didn't care. She would not fall, not while there was a speck of life in her body.
In that moment, she was no longer standing in a forest on a planet her ancestors had claimed. She was in another place, defenseless young behind her. The drones wore the faces of her enemies—and they were hungry.
Falling meant losing the people she loved. Too much had already been taken from her.
Just when she'd been forced to her knees under the onslaught, she sensed the opportunity she'd been waiting for.
There—a break in the pattern as the drones closed in, intent on the kill. Victory was at hand.
They inched closer and closer, their bolts containing the force of a tank. Still, Kira waited, gathering strength, coiling it deep inside as she waited with the patience of a spider whose victims had neared her web.
Not yet. She'd only get one chance at this.
Now.
Kira sprang, one hand lashing out to catch the first drone. Its electric defenses flared, her hand going numb. She winced but didn't let go, grasping its side and turning its weapon on the rest.
The smell of burned flesh reached her, and still she didn't relent as she took aim at her previous hunters, now the prey.
Drones exploded, short-circuiting in quick order.
The drone in her hand buzzed. Kira heaved it at another, not even pausing to watch the two destroy each other before leaping up to find another prey.
Seconds later, the clearing lay still. Smoke curled along the edges. Drone carcasses littered the ground. Kira panted, unable to drop her guard, waiting for the next attack.
None came.
Her breathing slowed, and she allowed herself to start to believe it was over. By some miracle, she'd managed to win.
The world stilled, the faintest hint of a presence dropping out of the trees where it'd been hiding.
Kira twisted, her hand flashing out as she flung the remains of the sword hilt at the last drone.
A dark shape flew from the side, and an en-blade split the drone in two as her broken practice sword embedded itself into the drone's casing.
