It didn't take long to demonstrate the basic riding stance. Feet shoulder width apart, the dominant side facing front. It wasn't too far off from a stance you'd use on a surfboard or snowboard.
Joule's face was intent and serious as he copied everything she did. Kira was conscious of Graydon listening from the sidelines as she gently shifted his legs to a better position.
"Balance is the most important aspect of riding." The board was designed to help with that, its controls intuitive.
Kira picked up her board and showed it to him. "Weight distribution is key." She indicated the different spots on the board. "A single shift in balance will cause a reaction."
The others had stopped what they were doing to listen, drifting over to stand by Joule.
Kira set the board down and climbed on, adopting the rest stance. She settled her weight more firmly. The board snapped to life, its engines purring as the antigravs kicked online, allowing her to rise until she hovered a foot above the ground.
"Where you choose to distribute your weight determines where the board goes."
She shifted, demonstrating the different positions and what they did. Back, forward, up, down. Even flipping the tail end out, so she curved around them.
Joule looked fascinated, eager to get started.
At her gesture, the rest broke away to try their hand at what Kira had demonstrated.
Watching Joule make his first attempt was like watching a baby bird try to leave the nest—tentative, slightly awkward, even as he caught on quick.
The other three were already showing off, putting the boards through their paces as they sought to impress each other.
Graydon joined her as she observed them. "Enjoying yourself?"
"Teaching novices to fly is the highlight of my day," she said in a snarky voice.
His smile deepened. "I thought you might enjoy it."
He was right. She had. It had felt good and clean. Simple in a way she'd forgotten. Two things that were in short supply with her current mission.
Graydon left her side as Wren stepped onto the balcony.
"You'll be separated into groups based on the tools you've chosen. I expect you to acquit yourself well during this exercise."
Names were called, and the initiates shuffled as they joined their patrols.
Kira wasn't surprised to find herself in the same group as Graydon. The man was a bad penny who kept finding his way into her orbit.
The four she'd taught and Raider rounded out the group with Aeron joining them at the last second. Kira was interested to note Devon's face shut down as soon as the other boy got near. Whatever had happened between them, the two were no longer friends.
Blue ended up on a different patrol led by Maida, who seemed amused as the other woman chattered excitedly at her.
"I forgot that about you," Raider said, settling beside Kira as she fiddled with the settings of her board. "You always were a good teacher."
Kira paused. "Praise? From you?" She cocked her head. "How hungover are you?"
Raider folded his hands behind his head. "I'll admit it took me a while to see beyond my anger, but now that I do, a few things have started to become clear."
Kira changed another setting, not liking the sound of this.
Raider was a good soldier. Smart and intuitive. His biggest weakness had always been that he let his emotions cloud the clarity of his judgment.
If he was being truthful, he'd picked a hell of a time to fix his issue.
"Sometimes, with people we've known a long time, there is all this baggage. It makes it so we can't see them clearly." Raider's gaze was direct, no hint of the fatigue she'd expect in someone who'd spent half the night drinking. "I'd forgotten how focused you are when on a mission. How much you're willing to sacrifice for its success."
"Raider—"
He sat up, his hand landing on her shoulder. He squeezed, the pressure this side of painful. "You forget they weren't only yours to protect."
Kira stood frozen as he leaned closer. It wasn't anger she saw in his eyes. It was determination. All the things she'd worked to prevent unraveling all at once.
"I don't know what you're trying to protect me from, but it must scare the crap out of you if you're willing to burn not only me but also Blue." He glanced at the other woman who looked positively gleeful as she studied the device the Tuann would soon regret giving her.
He patted her shoulder before leveraging himself to his feet. He paused to stare at her thoughtfully. "It's good to see you've gotten better at lying. I think your performance yesterday might have worked on anyone else."
Kira blinked dumbly up at him, her mind racing. She needed a lie to steer him away from this road he'd gone down. Something that would disabuse him of his observations.
He couldn't know the truth. He couldn't.
It would ruin everything.
If he knew, there would be no stopping him. Patience wasn't in his makeup. He'd charge head first at the Tsavitee, undoing years of work in the process, likely getting himself killed along the way.
For Elise to have a chance, she needed something to come back to. A big part of that something was Raider.
Too much time had passed for her to deny it, Kira realized. Nothing she said would make him believe her.
"Consider this a warning from an old friend—your secrets won't be yours much longer. I'll be right behind you from here on out. Everything you've done finally makes sense."
Kira was mute as she gazed up at him. There would be no swaying him. Not with subterfuge or deception. She doubted he'd let himself be blinded by any of it.
His smile, when it came, wasn't particularly nice. "Brace yourself, Phoenix. I'm your new battle buddy. Through thick and thin. You won't be able to drive me away a second time."
The words read like a threat and a promise.
She couldn't argue, not with Graydon watching them with interest.
Kira gathered her board and stood, giving herself time to think. To plan.
It wasn't enough.
Her composure was shaky as she rose. By the time she straightened, her expression was a mask of calm again, no hint of the turmoil within marring its surface.
The oshota’s take off saved Kira from having to form a response. She stepped on her board and hit the turbos, shooting straight up after them.
"You're going to have to do something about that," Jin murmured.
"I know."
For now, though, she needed to focus on the task at hand. Raider's threat wasn't going anywhere. She could deal with it and its ramifications later.
She'd been a little enthusiastic in her takeoff, piling too much momentum in it so she soared higher than the others.
Cannons came online, tracking her.
She tensed, bracing to dodge if it became necessary. When they did nothing, she bent her knees and piled on the speed.
Wind snapped the hair around her face as she arrowed toward the rest.
Himoto had always said he could read Kira's mood in the way she flew—happy, sad, angry, or a combination of the three.
If he'd been there today, he would have read her desire to run. It seemed the closer she got to her goal; the more things fell apart.
She took a deep breath, letting the board and the wind work some of the anxiety out of her soul. She performed loops and jumps in midair, taking her time as she got the knack of riding in gravity again.