Himoto broke toward the CSS Reliance. "Best of luck, Phoenix. And thanks."
Twenty Seven
The ground sped toward Kira in a dizzying rush. Artillery fired from the planet's surface. The rapid barrage aimed at Jace's fleet.
The world felt like it had gone a little mad. Chaotic and insane as stimuli battered Kira's senses.
She concentrated, not letting the madness overwhelm her. All that mattered now was reaching the surface of the planet without dying. To that end, she let her muscle memory take over, grateful that she'd had practice relatively recently.
She'd have to thank the Haldeel royals later. Without the quorum to serve as a training round, this might not have gone the way she wanted it to.
Up ahead, she caught a glimpse of Raider. He was the only one close enough to get eyes on. The rest nothing more than tiny dots in the far distance.
Their landing zones were going to be pretty spread out, Kira realized. Their jumps timed too far apart.
That was going to make Finn a tad unhappy when he got down there and couldn’t find her immediately.
A problem for future Kira.
For now, Kira kept her gaze trained on her head's up display and the dot representing Jin. That was where she had to go.
Her suit's hydraulics hissed as they worked to support her legs, taking some of the extreme pressure off her body. Her soul's breath helped, strengthening the muscles and joints until they were strong enough to withstand the G's she was pulling.
It always amazed her that humans managed to endure this without the benefit of ki. Raider and the rest of the Curs were either stubborn or out of their minds.
The ground approached fast, getting closer and closer. Her stomach clenched as she waited until the absolute last second before stomping on the waveboard's throttle, bringing it to life. It roared, resisting the harsh pull of gravity.
Kira landed hard.
The impact resonated up her legs into her knees and hips, rattling her teeth despite the way she had them clenched in preparation.
"Got to love human ingenuity," Kira muttered.
Without the suit, a landing like that would have broken nearly every bone in her body.
She stepped off the board, getting her first glimpse of the Tsavitee's home world. "Nicer than I imagined."
It certainly didn't look like the environment she'd associate with a species that had lain waste to countless Consortium planets. The Tsavitee had never given any evidence of caring how much destruction they caused to an ecosystem.
Maybe that only applied to planets that weren't theirs.
The plant life around her was lush and plentiful. Though admittedly some plants looked decidedly odd.
Kira kept her distance from those, not putting it past the Tsavitee to have engineered them to be lethal. It would certainly be in keeping with what she knew of them.
"J1N, report," Kira ordered.
"The atmosphere is within acceptable limits for supporting human life. Although, my sensors are detecting a dangerous toxin in the plants in our immediate vicinity. I recommend avoiding physical contact."
"Looks like I'm right again," Kira muttered, giving the twisted fronds of the alien ferns a wide berth. "What do we want to bet that most things we encounter today will try to kill us?"
The J1N floated above her as she crouched beside her board. "I am unsure of those odds. Please rephrase."
Kira shook her head and rolled her eyes as she fiddled with the board. "Never mind."
A few moments later, she straightened. "All done."
The next person who touched the board would set off an explosion that would rip apart anyone in the immediate vicinity.
