"I was right," Blue said, bouncing up and down, nearly vibrating with excitement.
"About what?" Kira asked.
"See these." Blue pointed to several points on the pattern. "They bear a startling resemblance to Elder Futhark runes dating from the second to eighth centuries in parts of old Europe."
Kira’s forehead wrinkled in thought.
"And here. These look like they derive from the Phoenician alphabet which would have originated somewhere around the Mediterranean."
Blue stepped back, peering up at the doorway with something approaching awe.
Kira and Raider watched her, Finn a disinterested presence behind them.
"I've seen similar runes all over the parts of the Citadel I've seen,” Blue said. “Admittedly I haven't seen much."
Raider scratched his neck. "So? Why is that important?"
Blue's gaze darted to Finn before she stepped closer to the two of them and lowered her voice. "Because it means at some point in Earth's past the Tuann visited, saw the runes, and then etched them into this place."
Kira drew back.
Blue gestured to the runes again. "These are old. This whole place is ancient as far as I can tell."
"Graydon did say it was nearly five thousand years old," Kira admitted.
"These weren't put here recently," Blue said. "Do you know how momentous it would be if they visited Earth at some point? I mean, this places their advance to space flight thousands of years before our own. No wonder we can't understand their technology."
By now Blue was babbling, her brain working overtime as she worked through all the possibilities. Kira could see the scientist inside taking hold.
Blue was the technician’s specialist for the Curs, but she was also more than that. Jin had pulled her records—all their records—while still near O’Reilly’s orbit. Blue had several degrees and PhDs in fields Kira had never even heard of before. The level of her intelligence was awe-inspiring, more so since she had elected to take a position in the military—a path not many with her capabilities would have embarked upon.
Raider stared at the doorway, one side of his mouth pulling in skepticism. "Couldn't it be coincidence? There are only so many ways you can make a squiggle. Maybe it seems similar, but they aren’t related."
Blue fixed him with a glower. "Do you know the odds of that?"
"No, but I bet you do," he muttered.
"That's right. The odds of it being coincidence are so infinitesimally small it's not worth calculating. If one symbol was similar, maybe, but I've seen at least ten." Blue stared at both of them before slapping the doorframe. "These originated on Earth."
Or they originated with the Tuann, and Earth's ancient people appropriated the runes for their own use, Kira thought.
She kept her speculation to herself as Raider shook his head and walked away, saying over his shoulder. "Let's move on. I don't care about a bunch of lines."
Blue's gaze went to Kira, pleading in them. Kira shrugged at her. "There's a lot to see. We can come back later."
Blue sighed and then trudged after Finn.
Jin took up his spot over Kira's shoulder. "It could explain their seemingly deep-seated dislike of humans."
Kira nodded as they shared a glance. Each of them sank into their own thoughts as they followed Finn.
After several minutes of awkward silence, Kira quickened her footsteps until she was walking by the terse oshota. "Since you're the resident expert, tell us about this place."
Finn stirred, shooting a veiled look her way.
She shrugged. "If these people really are my family, I should probably know something about them."
And if it would distract Blue from her pouting, even better.
Finn sighed. "The Citadel is ruled by House Luatha."
"Is everyone in it Luathan?" Blue asked.
"Most, but not all. Some smaller Houses have settled here. Others have sent their most talented to study under Luatha’s masters."
Blue's mouth opened on another question.
Finn answered before she could voice it. "Luatha is known for its artisans and inventors."
Kira hid a smile as Blue settled in with a frown.
"How much of the planet belongs to Luatha?" Kira asked.
"All of it."
She frowned at him. "What do you mean?"
"This is the Luathan home planet. Everything you see here is under their protection."
Blue leaned forward, her expression intense. "How many worlds do the Tuann claim?"
Finn was quiet as he considered Blue. His gaze shifted to Kira. She lifted her eyebrows. She was curious as well.
Raider had stopped short, his interest in the topic obvious.
Finn appeared uncomfortable for the first time. "Many."
Kira blinked.
How was that possible? Himoto was going to be very upset, when he learned how badly first contact had erred.
Kira could see Blue doing the math. There were five powerful Houses, each likely to have at least one world if not more. Add in an untold number of branch Houses and the less powerful unaffiliated Houses and there was no telling how many worlds were claimed by the Tuann.
They might even rival the Haldeel's empire for size.
"Ta Da'an is one among many territories Luatha claims. They also have a considerable presence on the emperor's world," he said.
Raider and Blue's shocked expressions mirrored hers.
"This is among the oldest of our worlds. The structure of the Citadel is nearly five thousand years old in some parts and has always rested in Luathan hands," Finn continued as they walked.
"This next section is called the hall of ancestors," he said, gesturing.
Still reeling from his revelation, Kira looked where he indicated. A long hallway stretched before her, arches meeting at the ceiling high above, the walls surprisingly blank given the decorative features on every surface they'd passed previously.
A deep green light bathed its length.
She paused on the edge. "You sure have an odd decorating scheme."
Finn ignored her comment and stepped into the green light, Jace and Blue following as they glanced around in curiosity.
Kira’s progress was slower as she examined the hallway. Despite its name, she didn't see any presence of her ancestors. There were no paintings or sculptures, no symbols on the walls. Nothing.
"Why do you call it the hall of ancestors?" Kira asked, her head tilted up as she took in the ceiling high above.
Silence answered her.
Kira looked up.
Her normally imperturbable oshota appeared shocked, his gaze disbelieving.
There was a panicked squeak as Blue stumbled, fear filling her face. She cowered away from Kira as she fumbled for a device at her side.
Raider cursed. His pistol was out and pointed at her in the next second. "Turn it off, Kira."
Kira stilled, blinking in dumb surprise at the weapon aimed her way. She expected a lot from Raider, but not this.
"What are you doing? You know you're not going to shoot me," she said in exasperation. If this was another game of his, she wasn't in the mood. "Stop pointing that at me."
He shook his head. Unlike Blue, there wasn't fear in him, just an angry defensiveness.