There was a guffaw from another. "Why would they do that?"
"Well, we'll be the first to explore it. Sounds only fitting it gets our name."
Kira shook her head as the commander said, "I'll make sure to request that in my report to the higher-ups. Get me eyes on it and then get to the ship."
A chorus of yes, sirs answered him.
The commander nodded at Kira. "You have a go for this mission, Captain. Let's see what your Curs can do."
Kira grinned. "Sir, yes, sir. Sunshine, Bayside, you are go for release. Bring me back some space dust."
The scene spun, chaos and pain all around before going dark. A cry of grief and pain split the air.
When Graydon opened his eyes again, he was back where he began, racing through a field, panic and desperation beating at him, a small hand clasped in his.
TWENTY-SIX
"A loop," Graydon said softly. "How is she doing this?"
Jin's intangible presence brushed against him. "Technique she picked up in the camps. Hard for someone to find the secrets you're hiding when you shred your memories and force them to repeat."
In front of them, they reached the spot where the boy fell, his hand leaving Kira's.
"You need to find the thing she doesn't want you to see," Jin said urgently. "Right now, you're an enemy combatant. She'll dredge up the most painful memory she can find and relive it over and over again."
"Why would she do that?" Graydon asked as the memory spun. Rain poured down, indistinct figures standing at attention holding rifles.
Jin's unease emanated from him. Graydon got the sense this memory was a touchy one.
"Double-edged sword," Jin said, sounding strained. "The Tsavitee don't feel; not like we do. Overwhelm them with emotions they have no reference for, and you have a powerful weapon against them."
"She rattles their cages until they'll do anything to escape," Graydon finished for him.
"If their minds don't burn out first," Jin agreed.
The boy dropped his weapon and was dragged out of formation as the others whispered of their escape plans.
Graydon tried to see the faces of those standing around Kira and failed. Their features were cast in shadow and out of focus.
"That isn't possible." Graydon backed away and moved down the line. None of them had faces.
The uhva na should have pulled complete memories from Kira. You couldn't hide from the Trial of the Broken.
"That's not what you should be focusing on." Jin's flinch was barely perceptible as they finished whipping the boy until his back was raw and bloody before dragging him away.
Graydon stopped in front of Kira. To the unobservant, her expression would seem flat. Uncaring. Not the woman he knew, as she watched a boy beaten in front of her. She'd told him about this memory. About watching a boy whipped until there was barely any skin on his back.
Fire flashed in her eyes, there and gone in an instant.
"There you are," he said.
Hatred burned deep inside her, only to be replaced by something else. Determination.
"What about him?" someone asked.
"There's no choice; we have to leave him. Breaking him out of the isolation cells would take too much time."
Rebellion sparked.
Kira's rifle clattered to the ground as she stepped out of formation, locked on the man who'd had the boy dragged forward. He took in her insubordination, not smart enough to be afraid.
He started to speak. Kira lunged with a primal scream, her smaller body flying at his.
The man's hands raised, the familiar scent of ki saturating the air.
"Tuann," Graydon whispered, horrified at his discovery.
Kira never paused. She was on the man in the next second, the weapon she'd disguised in her hand slashing across his throat.
She landed. Her gaze flickered as she spotted Graydon.
"You see me," he said, starting. She was aware on some level of what was going on. He could use that to call her from her memories.
The world slid sideways, the memory replaced by the flight deck of a ship. Humans jostled Graydon, whistling and hollering at where Kira stood on a cargo container. She held a spoon up to her mouth, singing to the accompaniment of a few humans playing instruments.
Kira's voice washed over him, teasing and sensuous. Her pleasure in the act was obvious, written across her face and carried in every note she sang.
The humans were enthralled, held spellbound as she wove her web. A few held up flashlights or glow sticks, waving them in time to the beat.
Her mother was said to have been able to do that. Luatha had long been known for their artisans. Music and art were a part of their daily lives. Kira's mother had won Roake's heart with her voice. She'd been nearly as treasured as Harding.
Graydon knew if he let himself, he could get lost in her music. Instead, he opened his eyes and forced himself to pull away. It was a distraction, meant to lull him into lowering his guard.
As if on cue, the scene shifted back to the bridge.
Kira limped into view.
Graydon padded after her, a hunter on the prowl. "It's not going to be that easy, coli. What is it that you don't want me to see?"
The barest semblance of defiance flashed across her face.
There she was, Graydon thought with satisfaction. "You can run all you want. I'll still find you."
"Bring me some space dust," Kira said as the scene started to slide sideways.
Graydon held firm, anchoring himself in place with a flex of his will. Not this time.
The dreamscape hiccupped.
"Something is interfering with Whiskey four’s signal," someone shouted.
"Abort, Whiskey one," Kira said. "Elise, get out of there."
"There's something here," Elise argued.
"I don't care what it is. Get on your board and get your ass back here," Kira ordered.
The atmosphere on the bridge shifted, tension ratcheting up.
"Four class three bogeys just appeared on scope," a human said, the voice showing the slightest hint of strain.
Kira looked up. Her expression horrified as the commander’s face tightened.
"They're here to stop the alliance," he said.
Kira nodded. "Sunshine, forget about what's out there. You have new orders. Rendezvous with the fleet and provide support. They'll go for the ambassador's ships."
"Fuck," Elise cursed. "I'm on it. Bayside and Champ, turn and burn. Don't wait for us."
The bridge was controlled chaos as orders were snapped out, then relayed down the line. The ship jolted and quivered under his feet as torpedoes were launched, and the guns came online.
"Alert the ambassador and tell the Haldeel to bug out," the commander ordered.
"Roger that," someone shouted, already moving to obey.
Kira stared at the screen. "We're not going to be able to hold them."
There was grim acceptance in the commander's face. "I know, but we'll do the best we can anyway."
Kira nodded.
Again, the scene tried to wrench sideways. Graydon held firm, his mind threatening to buckle as his nose began to bleed.
Kira's mind was powerful, and her desire not to revisit this next memory even more so.