“Perhaps it won’t be exactly the same and will carry the proof of its survival, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. There’s a certain poetic beauty in that,” Raider answered.
Kira stepped away from the Wanderer as the sound of engines announced that their guests were close.
“Are we still talking about my ship?” Kira asked, looking up at the three Tuann vessels coming into view over the treetops.
The ships flew past before turning and making their way back toward them. They landed, wind buffeting Kira and the rest, blowing her hair into her face. She shoved it out of the way as Raider and Finn flanked her.
“I don’t know, are we?” Raider asked, his attention on the grounded ships as their doors opened.
Oshota clad in a style of synth armor Kira wasn’t familiar with flooded out to surround the man stepping off the ship in the center. Their protective stance along with the haughty look on his face proclaimed him as the leader of this little expedition.
His expression was one Kira was all too familiar with from her time in the space force. Usually seen on people in authority. Those were the leaders she went out of her way to avoid. Their arrogance and aloofness always tempted a younger Kira to see how far she could push before she provoked them.
The current Kira was a little wiser, knowing nothing good would come of testing this person’s boundaries.
At least not as long as she was at a disadvantage.
“This should be good,” Raider muttered. “He looks like he has a stick up his ass. Your perfect mark.”
Kira chose to ignore Raider’s statement as Finn’s disquiet registered. “Do you recognize him?”
Finn’s stance shifted as unease entered his expression. It was the most uncertain Kira had ever seen her normally confident oshota.
“His name is Jarek. He’s an inquisitor under the emperor’s Face of Justice.”
“That’s good for us then?” Raider asked, his tone suggesting he knew that wasn’t true.
“The fact he is under the emperor’s banner is misleading. An inquisitor has full authority and can pry into any situation that justifies their involvement.” Finn lowered his voice as he glanced down at where Kira still cradled Jin in her arms. “Jarek’s order views the soul bound as abominations and has vowed to eradicate any they come across.”
Kira resisted the urge to hide Jin behind her, knowing such an action would only draw more attention to him.
“That’s lovely,” Kira said. “I thought not accepting that promotion to Centcom all those years ago meant I’d never have to deal with zealous idiots. I guess I was wrong.”
Raider arched his eyebrows at her. “What idiot wanted to promote you to Centcom?”
“Himoto along with two other admirals.”
Raider shook his head. “Thank any god that might exist you didn’t accept. Centcom would have been nothing but chaos with the Phoenix in its ranks.”
Kira rolled her eyes as she faced forward again. “Sometimes I really hate you.”
“Ah, Nixxy. I’m flattered.”
“Delay until the Overlord arrives,” Finn advised softly as Jarek and his escorts neared.
The inquisitor was dressed differently than the rest. He wore a high collared, knee length jacket that reminded Kira of starlight. It was a silvery white that made him stand out among the darker armor of his oshota.
The jacket was fastened at his waist and held shut by a bronze broach that was in the shape of a flower. Horns jutted out over the top of the flower in a way that felt jarring—and a little bit familiar.
“Are the children safe?” Kira asked in a low voice as silvery eyes the same shade as his jacket met hers.
Finn bent toward her. “Maksym is standing guard.”
Kira hoped that would be enough. She was a lot more confident in this plan before Jarek and his oshota showed up. There was an undercurrent of power in this man’s presence. An air of watchfulness that suggested he was biding his time.
Kira would much prefer this confrontation to take place when she was at her best. Not with her ribs still cracked, her ship broken, and her best friend out of commission.
Jin’s groggy voice came from her arms. “Are my eyes deceiving me or is that man wearing a circlet on his head?”
