Kira made an angry gesture, cutting off his explanation. She didn't want to hear it.
A hologram of Torvald clicked into view, causing silence to fall.
Torvald Elden's gaze was piercing as it landed on Kira. "Don't blame my Face for this. As brutal as it seems, this is an accepted aspect of the society you chose to enter. More than one House has been brought low for showing mercy to the offspring of their enemy. A child today becomes an adult tomorrow. What is to say they won't seek vengeance later for the fall of their House? As your friend, Joule, demonstrates, youth is no impediment to loyalty. It is understandable that House Asanth is unwilling to shoulder the responsibility and risk of those children's future actions."
Kira was unable to look away from the emperor, the vast distance between them doing little to dampen the effect of his presence.
Like Harlow and Graydon, he was able to effortlessly command attention when he wanted to.
He reminded Kira of a dragon. Regal—and just as likely to eat you.
His size was one of the first things you noticed about him. That and his eyes, a striking gold against his light brown skin.
It was those eyes that first clued her into his relation to Jin. They were so similar. Though Jin's had been a few shades lighter.
Time may have dimmed Kira's memory of that boy from her past, but she could see the shadow of what Jin may have one day grown up to be in Torvald's features.
The thought made Kira a little sad before she shook it off.
"While I understand Asanth's concern, a child should never have to pay for the mistakes of a parent," Kira said, holding her ground. "And they shouldn't be exiled for what they might one day do."
"How very naive of you. House Roake will have an interesting future," Torvald said with an amused glance at Kira's uncle.
Harlow gave no reaction, his expression inscrutable.
"As for House Blae's children, there are three of them." Torvald's gaze deepened. "My Face went out of his way to ensure they will be cared for by a group of wanderers who will see that they get the care and understanding they need. I assure you it is a far kinder fate than if House Asanth had taken them in."
Kira looked away in defeat.
Much as she hated to admit it, he had a point. Having seen the discrimination Joule and Ziva had dealt with in Luatha as children of a fallen House—one that hadn't betrayed anyone, at that—she could see how those children might be better off in an environment where they weren't constantly reminded of what their parents had done.
At the very least, it would give them a fighting chance to find a new path in life.
Who knew—maybe Pallas and the forty three's potential House could be a future sanctuary for them.
"What about your mission?" Torvald asked. "Has there been any progress in obtaining a location?"
Kira touched the data device she'd used to download the star map Odin had given her, projecting it for Torvald and Harlow to see. "We were able to narrow the search to this sector of space."
Torvald's brow furrowed as he nodded in thought. "That makes sense."
"What do you mean?" Kira asked.
Torvald's dragon eyes found hers. "After your talk with Graydon regarding your suspicions a few months ago, I tasked several of our historians to review the remaining records of the Tuann's flight across the galaxy."
Kira glanced at Graydon.
"While our ancestors deliberately obscured our point of origin to prevent any from searching for our previous masters, they did leave a few hints. This sector is one of the areas that came up in their research."
Anticipation and excitement rose. They were on the right track. Torvald's words confirmed it.
Kira struggled not to give in to her emotions. Even if they had a direction now, there was still a long way to go.
But this was a good lead. It was the most she'd had in years of searching.
"How do you plan to further narrow the search grid?" Torvald asked.
"We're awaiting the Wanderer's arrival. My source should be able to give us another data point once it does. We're hoping between that and what we already have, it should get us a location."
