"You can't, Overlord," Roderick protested. "You are our shield. If you were to be injured, it would affect our standing."
Liara’s expression fell, disappointment filling it as she conceded his point.
"I'll do it," Finn said, his expression stony.
Roderick grunted in agreement. “Fine, I’ll inform the rest.”
He stalked off before anyone could speak.
Kira and the rest followed slowly as Liara escorted them to the beginning of the course, keeping pace easily. "I apologize for my marshal. Our people have always been resistant to change. Please don't judge them too harshly."
Kira held up a hand. "Don't bother. Just give me an idea of what I'm about to face."
She didn't care about apologies or justifications. They were already past that. This was the current state of things. She had to concentrate on getting through this next part before bothering with the messy emotional side of things.
"It's called the odiri pattern. It's meant to test your teamwork."
Kira let out a soft huff. That wasn't the news she wanted to hear, given one member of their team hated her, another would be focused on trying to protect her, and the last had joined for reasons only he understood.
Excited chatter from those gathered accompanied them as they approached the entrance to the training field. Kira ignored the onlookers and focused on ferreting out all the information she could before they were thrown into the arena.
"Avoid getting hit by the drones’ laser fire. Their weapons are meant to simulate actual wounds. It can be quite shocking to the system. Some freeze up as their bodies struggle to reconcile the pain with reality," Liara explained.
"Good to know," Kira murmured.
Raider snorted.
"You get points for every drone you take down and every salvo you successfully repel. Points are deducted for every hit you take. The time until completion also factors into your overall score."
Kira nodded. Seemed simple enough.
"Good luck," Liara offered. "If you can, stay behind Graydon and Finn. Both men have run this course before. If you're wounded and can't continue, raise your hand to forfeit."
Liara stopped at the edge of the fence, her expression grave as Kira moved past her.
Jin settled right over Kira's shoulder. "I'm going with you."
"Much as I appreciate that, I want you to stay out here," Kira said. "Keep an eye on things while we're competing."
He sighed before rising, gaining altitude so he could watch the scene from above.
Graydon handed her and Raider two wooden swords. "Try not to hit yourselves in the face with these."
Kira took the sword, aiming a dark glare his way. He chuckled to himself as she tested the swing of it in her hands. It was light and flexible. Not quite as well balanced as her old energy sword, but not bad.
Raider's expression was dissatisfied as he took his.
Kira sighed, wishing any of the others were here. Blue, for instance, would have been a good choice. The other woman preferred using her brain and would probably have rigged up some type of trap in the space of five minutes, incapacitating the drones and allowing them to stroll unmolested to the other side.
Raider was too much like Kira. He relied on brute strength and speed to dominate the field. She didn't know if either skill would be enough today.
Finn was an unknown quantity. Her only experience was the brief tussle they had last night. She assumed he had some level of skill given his status as warrior and guard, but how that would mesh with the rest of the team Kira had no clue.
"Think you can handle this?" Graydon asked Kira with a taunting smirk.
"We're about to see."
"If you get too scared, you can always hide behind me." His smirk deepened into a wicked smile and he leaned closer. "Don't worry, I can protect your weak self."
"I'll keep that in mind," she said dryly.
She'd do nothing of the sort.
"Have to make sure you don't damage your frail body," he continued. "You and the human can hang back, let us do the heavy lifting."
"Ah-ha," Kira said, her voice sounding slightly strangled.
Raider scoffed next to her. "Is he serious right now?"
"Hard to tell," Kira responded. She sure hoped not.
Graydon's chuckle was husky.
Kira's eyes narrowed. He knew exactly what he was doing, throwing down a gauntlet Kira and Raider would have no choice but to pick up. Raider, because of injured pride—Kira so Raider didn't get himself hurt.
Jace would never forgive her if Raider got himself killed trying to prove a point.
"Let me get this clear," Raider started. "You think you and the pain in the ass can take on this entire course by yourselves?"
Graydon's expression turned smug. "I know we can."
Raider and Kira exchanged a glance.
"Prove it," Raider challenged.
"Wait," Kira started. The whole point of the other three's inclusion was so they could work together.
"Alright, how about a bet?" Graydon asked.
"No. Don’t do it," Kira tried, already shaking her head.
"What sort of bet?" Raider asked.
Kira made a frustrated sound. He was playing right into the Tuann's hands.
"If either of you make it to the finish line before us, I'll make sure you're not saddled with any more guards besides Finn," Graydon said, capturing Kira's interest. He fixed Raider with a dark look as the playfulness dropped from Graydon's expression. "And I won't mention to our hosts the human ship sitting about five hundred units outside this system."
Raider's face drained of emotion, leaving only the predator behind. This was the man who had faced the Tsavitee down, never flinching. Death was in his eyes as he watched Graydon.
Kira tipped her head back and groaned. "I should have known."
"Shut up, Kira," Raider said.
"Make me," she snarled.
Raider didn't move, though he wanted to. She could tell.
She scrubbed one hand down her face, calling herself an idiot. She should have known Himoto would have something up his sleeve. A ship hidden out of sight would be just like him.
He was probably waiting for some sort of signal from Jace and the Curs. Not a bad idea, and normally she would have been thrilled at the prospect of possible backup, except the Consortium had agreed not to trespass on Tuann territory unless invited.
"They're holding just outside our territory," Graydon said pleasantly. "But the Luatha would be very displeased if they discovered your fellow humans knew the location of this planet."
Translation—if they found out, they'd likely kill the Curs and maybe even Kira, since she had technically agreed to bring them here.
Her shoulders bowed.
Graydon stepped forward, bending so only she could hear. "I suggest you make it across the finish line first."
"You're an asshole," she said without heat.
He grinned, not taking the insult. "I'm an asshole looking forward to seeing what you're capable of."
"Wasn't the whole point of this to work as a team?" Kira asked plaintively.
"It would never work," Graydon said, his gaze piercing. "None of us trust each other, and we don't have time to build that trust. The only way through is brute force and hoping the others are strong enough to survive on their own."