"I know how you feel, but there's no time," Graydon said in a tight voice.
Kira let him pull her away, facing forward and jogging after him as they followed Brie.
No one spoke as they made their way down the hill, moving as quickly as possible through the snow.
"I know Diesel said you had a smuggling ship waiting, but Pallas's would be a better option," Kira said when Brie stopped to study their surroundings.
Pallas's ship was likely faster and better equipped for a fight.
Brie shook her head. "I'm afraid that's impossible. He took off early this morning. No one saw him leave."
That rat bastard. He'd abandoned Kira right when she needed him. Again.
"This is why I didn't want him involved with my business," Kira told Graydon.
Her lover's jaw flexed, his eyes chips of ice. "I see why."
Graydon's anger at Pallas's betrayal was palpable. The air heavy with tension.
"I have a team escorting the All Father to the smuggler's ship as we speak," Brie explained. "We're meeting them there."
"You've thought of everything," Kira said dryly, not sure how pleased she was about that fact. She’d always hated being the last one to know.
"Diesel did," Brie corrected, walking away.
"Of course, he did," Kira muttered.
Graydon arched an eyebrow, falling into step beside her as she started after the human. "This puts a damper on things. What are your plans now?"
"For now, we'll rendezvous with Odin. Waiting for the Wanderer to arrive is no longer an option if the Tsavitee are here."
Frustration nipped at Kira. As usual—when things went wrong, they did so at light speed.
"It might be time to think about calling in Harlow's reinforcements," Graydon put forth.
"You don't need to remind me. I'm already considering it."
For now, though, their first step was to get off the planet and find somewhere safe to hunker down while they tried to intercept the Wanderer from flying into a trap. After that, they'd see about those reinforcements.
A high whine from behind them came an instant before the trees in front of them were strafed with pulse blasts.
"Move! Move! Move!" Kira screamed, sprinting forward to weave through the trees.
Brie looked back once before doing the same.
Graydon covered their retreat, protecting Kira's back as they plunged through the forest.
"Over here," Brie called, waving them toward an embankment protected by a massive fallen tree.
Kira sailed over it, her heart squeezing when she found the drop on the other side much steeper than it had looked. She barely managed to land without breaking an ankle.
"A little warning next time would be nice," Kira growled at the human.
Brie's eyes were wide. "I didn't expect you to jump over it like that."
Graydon landed next to Kira. "Well, this is fun."
"Not the word I'd use," Kira said, dusting snow and dead leaves off her hands.
