They reached an intersection where the ducts crossed. Uncle Jin headed to the left. Elena squirmed after him.
"You don't have a heart, Uncle Jin."
The lu-ong looked back Elena. "Don't get cheeky with me, young lady."
Elena almost giggled, the familiar scolding tone washing away the last of the fear lingering from her encounter with the strange Tsavitee.
"We're here," Uncle Jin announced.
He hopped up onto the duct covering. From outside, there were several tinks as the fastenings dropped to the ground.
"You're using ki," Elena said in surprise.
She would have noticed earlier when he was holding the duct cover in place if not for how preoccupied she was with the possibility of being discovered.
The ki running through the lu-ong spawn was faint. Barely perceptible. Something she never would have noticed on Ta Sa'Riel due to the ki rich environment. Probably not even on a human or Haldeel planet where the ki density was considerably less but still present on some level.
It was this place. There was something critical that felt off. Wrong even.
It made Elena sensitive to things she might not have noticed otherwise.
"Does Auntie know?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Uncle Jin said as he lowered the cover to the ground. "Let's go."
Elena frowned at her uncle but didn't argue, sliding out of the air duct after him. She went head first, catching herself with her hands before her face got up close and personal with the floor.
Uncle Jin put the duct cover back into place before hopping onto her shoulder.
"Where were you when I woke up? I was worried," Elena asked.
Just a little though since Uncle Jin was so awesome.
"We’re in a dangerous situation. As tempting as it is to wait for your Aunt to arrive, we can’t rely on her finding us in time. The thing that we need most is information. I left to do a little reconnaissance."
Elena followed her uncle’s directions through the halls, winding her way back to the room.
"That said, I didn’t leave you unattended. Didn’t you see the spawn I left behind?" Uncle Jin asked.
Elena shook her head. "I didn’t notice anything."
Uncle Jin’s sign was resigned. "I realized that when it notified me that you’d left the room without acknowledging it. Next time do me a favor and take a look around you before you do something reckless."
That was a little harsh. Elena preferred to think of it as her being impetuous rather than reckless. Success often necessitated risk.
"Find any ships for us to steal?" Elena asked, changing the subject.
The lu-ong swatted Elena with its tail. "Don't even think about it. You're not high-jacking another ship."
"Why not? I'm awfully good at it."
"I'm aware," Uncle Jin said dryly. "But if you recall, the only reason the Wanderer made it off Ta Sa'Riel last time was because of your aunt’s piloting skills. I guarantee you that the Tsavitee's anti-aerial defense network is no worse than the Tuann's."
"I'm not worried. I have you."
"Sweet, but the answer is still no."
They reached a set of hallways that Elena recognized from her previous passage through them.
