“Kira, I’m at the lower decks. I don’t see anything that is cause for concern,” Finn announced over the comms.
“Just what I wanted to hear,” Kira said.
With nothing holding her back, Kira narrowed the distance between the two ships.
Chicken was a game she hadn’t played since she was an ensign, but if they wanted to have fun, she’d indulge them.
Her comms squawked as the other ship hailed them.
Kira ignored them; her hand steady as she guided her ship toward the open space just beyond the Tuann vessel.
“Adjust your vector upwards by two degrees,” Jin instructed.
Kira obeyed, the ship responding as easily as if it had read her thoughts.
Raider cursed as they closed on the other vessel.
“Ten meters. Five,” Jin said, counting the distance left.
The Wanderer was relentless as it bore down on the other, forcing it to choose between running aground on the deck or risking a collision with her ship.
In the end, the Tuann vessel chose to crash into the deck, scraping its belly along the ground in a way Kira knew would leave a mark on both station and ship.
Jin crowed in victory as the Wanderer’s nose penetrated the membrane separating the station from space. They slid through with barely a hitch.
“Was that wise?” the emperor asked from where he’d been silent until now.
Kira shrugged as she turned control of the ship over to Jin. “Probably not.”
In truth, it would have been better not to pick a fight that would distract from her reasons for returning to the planet.
“It was fun though,” Jin interjected.
The emperor’s attention never left Kira. “Then why?”
Kira rose from her seat, taking a moment to stretch. “They thought I could be bullied. I taught them otherwise.”
Raider propped an elbow on the arm of his chair. “You always did favor a scorched Earth policy when it came to this sort of thing.”
“I’ve found it best to start as I mean to go on,” Kira explained.
It was better for the Tuann to learn the type of person they were dealing with now rather than later. As dangerous as this stunt was, the lesson might cut down on the future body count.
The Tuann were a violent race. Even during times of peace, their lives revolved around challenges for power and dominance. It was one of the reasons they had so many rules regarding their behavior.
It was to keep them from ripping each other’s heads off for no reason.
It was a facet of her birth race that Kira understood. Inactivity and boredom had always been dangerous companions for her, leading her to seek out trouble on more than one occasion.
Now that they’d challenged her and lost, it would be a while before they tested her again.
It was a tad reckless, but that was life. You got nothing without a bit of risk.
“You understand us better than expected for one who has spent such a short time in our company,” the emperor mused.
Kira tensed for a split second before forcing herself to relax. Ignoring the emperor’s words, she tapped Raider on the shoulder. “You’ve got the command. I’m heading to the mess hall for a drink.”
“Bring me back a coffee,” Raider instructed.
