"That about sums it up," Kira agreed with a nod.
"I always hated that saying," Blue grumbled.
Kira would have too if circumstances hadn't proven Himoto right time and again.
"Will you do it?"
Blue looked away, unable to hide her uncertainty. "I can get him running. That's not the problem. Giving him a personality close to Jin's—" Blue trailed off and shook her head. "I don't think there's anyone who could do that."
"I'm not expecting another Jin. If all you can do is have him float behind me and keep his mouth shut, I'll take it."
Blue's nod was reluctant. "Fine, I'll do it. But when he returns to his body and gets upset at what I've done, I'm throwing all the blame at you."
"I'll be happy to entertain any complaints he has," Kira said, starting past Blue.
"Hey!" Blue yelled. "Do you have a destination yet?"
Kira nodded. "I do have one in mind."
Blue raised her eyebrows in question.
"Rothchild."
Kira's greatest failure. And the place where everything had first begun to go so wrong.
Kira heard Raider long before she saw him, his raised voice spilling into the corridor. He sounded mad.
It looked like someone had decided not to respect her request to wait.
Kira increased her pace, reaching the galley a second later.
An antique wooden table sat in the middle of the room, its presence seeming right at home given the fact it looked like something you'd be more likely to find in a cozy cottage in the middle of the woods. Not in a spaceship's kitchen.
It was a present from one of Wren's oshota. Maksym, the man who'd appointed himself Kira's honorary big brother.
When she saw it the first time, she'd been furious. Mostly because Maksym had taken it upon himself to re-purpose the armory that had been here originally and turn it into a galley. He'd argued that her former galley was much too small to support her future crew.
Maksym had proven to be downright prescient, if her current circumstances were anything to go by.
Despite the much larger size compared to the original galley, the room felt almost crowded with all the hostility filling it.
Raider loomed over Aeron. Finn and Wren quiet presences as they stood guard at either side of the room. Their expressions cold.
Finn acknowledged Kira's arrival with a tilt of his chin. Wren's reaction was more subtle. A blink that seemed to ask what took her so long.
Seeing Kira, Aeron made to stand before Raider shoved him back into his chair.
"Is this why you broke me out of custody? For your human pet to make threats he can't back up?" Aeron snarled as Kira crossed the room to take a seat next to Graydon.
The emperor's Face was sprawled in his chair, his posture outwardly lazy. Kira caught the way his hand lingered near the hilt of his en-blade. The carefulness in his gaze as he watched Aeron intently. Like he was waiting for something to happen.
For all Graydon's apparent indolence, he was a warrior. The smallest threat would be met with decisive and explosive violence. Most probably resulting in death or maiming for the offender. In this case, Aeron.
Kira took her time answering. "It's unwise to taunt the people who hold your life in their hands."
Aeron was a lot of things but stupid wasn't one of them. He had to know Kira wouldn't side with him if Raider really wanted his life.
As if he'd read her thoughts, Aeron relaxed in his seat. The antagonism and hostility faded away to be replaced by cool calculation. Without the biting sarcasm, Aeron looked younger. Devon's age or slightly below.
