"I don't want to hear that from someone who jumped through a rift in space without knowing what was waiting for him on the other end," Kira said, examining the maze of branches that had trapped the J1N.
It was something of a miracle that the drone had managed to venture as deep into their depths as he had. No wonder he'd gotten stuck. Although the branches were thin, they were highly flexible. Had they been thicker, they would have broken under the weight of all that ice.
Instead, they endured.
Kira snarled as the tip of an icicle snagged on her hood. "J1N, come here."
The J1N continued to buzz like an overgrown bumble bee as it pressed against the branches directly in front of it.
"If someone hadn't been on the other side of that rift, I never would have been so reckless," Graydon defended.
"Bullshit," Kira said, ducking under several branches and crawling through the snow until she was crouching just under the J1N's position. "Say what you will. You're just like me when it comes to this sort of thing."
They had a way of thrusting themselves into danger without a second thought, trusting their skills and a considerable amount of luck to save them.
Kira glared up at the J1N. "Get down here."
The drone avoided her reach, propelling himself into the branches overhead. His action dislodged a pile of snow, causing it to fall.
Right on Kira’s head.
She froze as something cold and wet slid into the collar of her shirt and then down her chest and back.
Graydon made a choked sound as Kira dusted the snow off with exaggerated motions.
"Oops," the drone said in such a Jin-like fashion that Kira might have thought her best friend had returned to his body if not for its flat tone.
"Screw this," Kira snapped, drawing the akieri.
It only took a second for the blade to unfold, the metal snapping together with loud clicks. Each one like a death knell. When it finished assembling, she swung it at the nearest sheet of ice, clearing a path. A creature the length of her hand, its body white with a bluish tinge, fled the destruction. It landed on the ground and skittered away.
Kira jumped, snagging the J1N out of the air with more ease than would have been possible if it had been Jin.
She landed softly, crouching and half crawling out of the opening she'd made.
"Not a word," Kira ordered as Graydon's shoulders started to shake.
She stalked over to Lathan, thrusting the J1N into his arms. "Keep an eye on him. Don't let him wander around until we get him fixed."
Lathan's face held a faint touch of amusement as he nodded.
Kira startled as the lenacht popped out of his hood. "When did Pallas hand him off?"
Lathan patted his companion. "A little while ago."
The lenacht paid no attention to their conversation as she spotted the J1N. Scrambling out of Lathan's hood, she perched on the drone's casing.
"What the hell is that?" Doug asked, drawing closer.
"Nothing you need to concern yourself about," Kira said, taking the J1N and the lenacht out of Lathan's hands and setting them in the hood of his cloak.
She drew it up, ensuring both were covered before sharing a look with him.
The Tuann she knew were notoriously distrusting of humans. Normally, Kira would argue in humanity's defense, but in this instance, she agreed. The lenacht was a mystery that humans were better off never discovering.
Kira had too much experience with their greed to risk exposing its existence.
Had she known they'd encounter anyone but Odin, she would have recommended Lathan and the lenacht remain on the ship.
