Unbelievable.
"You're threatening me?" Kira asked, raising her eyebrows at him in challenge.
"Bold move, kiddo," Blue said with a whistle.
Devon's gaze shifted to her. "I'm older than you—by decades at least."
Blue's smile was dangerous. "Time is meaningless if you don't have the experience to back it up. Would you like a demonstration?"
"Okay, that's enough out of you." Raider nudged Blue toward the corridor. "Go get us ready to take off."
Blue went without objection, heading for the bridge.
Raider tilted his head to the other side of the room. "Kira—side bar."
"In a moment."
"No, now."
Raider was already moving when Kira looked back at him. Talon watched the show from his place along the wall.
"Fine," Kira growled under her breath, stomping after him.
He didn't wait for her to reach the other side of the room before rounding on her. "We should bring the kid."
Kira stopped and glared. "Are you kidding me?"
"You've seen what he can do. We could use him."
"He's still a kid. They all are."
"He's not much younger than you were when you started fighting the Tsavitee," Raider pointed out.
"That's different."
"I don't see how." Raider folded his arms over his chest, widening his stance as he squared up with her. "He's faced several dangerous situations in the past few months and acquitted himself well each time. If I thought there was a chance, I'd recruit him for the Curs."
Raider remained calm as he offered several rebuttals. Entirely reasonable as he laid out his argument. One whose logic even someone as stubborn as Kira couldn't fight against.
"Furthermore, he and Devon are no longer considered children by the Tuann," Raider added.
Kira started. "What does that mean?"
Last she'd heard, the others who'd attempted to take the adva ka with her had lost their chance when she had her confrontation with Elise over the fate of the lenacht, the Mea'Ave's blessing that the Tsavitee had wanted to get their hands on.
"It reopened," Raider told her. "Devon and Joule are now both considered fully fledged adults."
"Son of a bitch," Kira whispered.
She was proud of her little friend. He'd done what he'd set out to do.
"And you?" Kira asked with a glance at him. "Did you complete it?"
The arrogant smile he offered her told her everything she needed to know. Of course, he'd finished it. This was Raider, after all. The only person perhaps more competitive than Jin.
"Congratulations," she offered with a sigh, realizing she'd lost this battle. Had lost the moment Finn allowed the trio onto her ship.
No wonder he'd been so quick to stalk away. Smart oshota that he was, he'd staged an early retreat so he wouldn't have to listen to her complaints when she realized what he'd done.
