"You should visit it before you leave. Pay your respects. I think it would be good for you."
Kira looked away. "You always were too smart for my peace of mind."
"Someone had to keep you lot from accidentally killing yourselves."
Kira's snort held a tired amusement. "If that's what you want to tell yourself."
Diesel's smile broadened, the goofy expression vanquishing the heavy atmosphere that had threatened to ruin the moment.
"What are you doing on Rothchild anyway?" Kira asked.
From what she remembered, Diesel was from Merit. She was surprised that he hadn’t returned home after the war.
That's what they'd been fighting for, after all. Their homes.
Diesel's expression was wistful as he trained his gaze on the moon. "I thought about going home. Somehow, it just felt wrong. You know?"
His question didn't require a response.
Diesel touched the spot where his legs ended. "This place had already claimed a piece of me. It seemed only fitting I give it the rest."
"So, you stayed."
"And so, I stayed."
Silence settled between them. The kind that was bought from the pain of shared experience and an understanding that spanned years of serving by the other's side.
"Brie tells me you're here for the All Father."
"Yeah, about that." Kira shifted to level an astounded look on Diesel. "I didn’t expect you to be the type to let Odin stay here. Let alone make use of the Vega."
That ship would have meant every bit as much to him as it did her. For him to let someone make use of it, a stranger at that, was puzzling.
Diesel leaned on the arm of his chair. "Interesting fellas, those two."
"Two?"
"Twins. A man and a woman." Diesel took a sip out of the insulated coffee mug he held. "They thought we wouldn't notice, what with them being nearly identical and all."
Diesel tapped the skin under his eye with a cocky grin.
Understanding dawned. They must have caught Odin's shift from male to female and assumed they were two different people.
"Observant," Kira said, playing along.
"They showed up a few years ago. Said they needed the Vega for something important."
"And you just let them on the ship?"
That wasn't the Diesel she'd known. That Diesel had been a hard ass who didn't give most people the time of day.
"Normally I wouldn't have, but they came highly recommended."
At Kira's interested look, Diesel's smile widened. "Jin."
"No." Kira shook her head. "That's not possible."
"Hand to the divine entity responsible for creating life in this messed up universe that I am not lying." Diesel raised his hand. "The All Father had a video letter and Jin's authentication code. Jin said the twins were helping you with something important. I didn't see much point in arguing after that."
