“The Tuann have stories of that abomination,” Finn informed her as she set out at a quick pace.
It took only a few seconds to reach the armory. Kira crossed to the locker that contained her armor and reached inside.
Finn turned his back as Kira stripped out of her loose clothing, replacing it with a skintight under suit that would lie beneath her armor.
Next, she grabbed the individual pieces, sliding them on with the ease of long practice.
Originally designed for combat where you needed to be suited up in minutes, the process was a quick one.
Kira latched the final piece of the armor over her chest.
“All the more reason, I need to do this.” She grabbed a pair of gloves and slid them on. “I’ve considered our options, and this is the best one for survival. The bog’s hag will be dormant due to the cold of space. If I can separate it from the ship, the mines will target it instead of the ship.”
It would leave them free to land without having to dodge the full force of the Tuann defense system.
There was no need to mention the possibility of the bog’s hag coming out of dormancy once disturbed.
She preferred to think in best-case scenarios until the situation dictated otherwise.
“Where’s Maksym?” Kira asked, noting Torvald’s presence at the doorway.
The man was as stealthy as his son—and as curious as him too.
Finn glanced in Torvald’s direction and frowned. “With the children. He has instructions to get them off the ship if things go wrong.”
Kira tucked her helmet under her arm. “Someone needs to see if the roots have breached the hull.”
Kira wouldn’t be able to do it as she would be outside of the ship, and something told her it would be a bad idea to make demands of an emperor.
Something about possibly shortening her life span.
Finn’s jaw tightened as he held Kira’s gaze. A battle waged inside him. The traditional mindset of an oshota conflicting with the part of him that Kira had only caught glimpses of since their first meeting.
That part of him that was willing to consider other options even if they had never been done before. To act outside the system when the situation warranted.
He would need that side of himself if he was to remain at Kira’s side.
Tradition and procedure were two words that had never been used in conjunction with her and she didn’t plan to change that now.
Defeat showed on Finn’s face seconds before he took a step back. “You’re not to get a scratch.”
Kira slapped his shoulder as she moved past him. “You know I can’t make any promises.”
Finn’s reaction didn’t leave her disappointed, an annoyed growl following her into the corridor as Torvald fell into step beside her.
“You have an interesting way about you,” Torvald observed as they descended a level and headed for the aft of the ship.
Kira looked at him, not saying anything.
“I didn’t think he would compromise. Oshota usually don’t.”
They neared the airlock. The door already open in preparation for Kira’s arrival.
“The same strength of mind that allows them to become an oshota also makes them more stubborn and set in their ways,” Torvald explained.
Kira stepped inside the airlock as Torvald fell back a step.
“Maybe that’s the Tuann’s problem,” Kira said. “It’s not a partnership if one side always dictates the other’s actions.”
