The ship rocked from the force of an explosion.
"What was that?" Odin asked, coming alert.
Kira didn't answer as she pulled out of Graydon's arms and started for the ship's bridge.
Pallas's whistle greeted her as she stepped through the hatch. "Looks like someone is playing for keeps."
"What happened?" Kira asked.
The giant crater where the Vega had once been made Pallas's answer unnecessary. Smoke still billowed from the rubble. The trees all around it had been flattened in the blast, leaving nothing behind.
"I think someone triggered one of my booby traps," Odin said, coming up behind her.
Kira's eyebrows climbed to her hairline as she pointed at the crater in disbelief. "This is you?"
Graydon's eyes had narrowed to slits as he took in the damage, his body going rigid with the knowledge that it could have been him and Kira caught in that blast if Pallas had decided to go exploring a few days ago.
"You didn't think I'd abandon Yggdrasil without ensuring it couldn't be used against me, did you?" Odin looked out the window with a frown. "Though the extent of damage is considerably greater than I anticipated."
Kira made a choked sound of disbelief as she stared at Odin.
"It's Diesel," Brie interrupted. "His plan was to fall back to the Vega when they were overwhelmed and lure the Tsavitee inside."
“You're saying he was in the ship when it went up?”
Brie shook her head. "I don't know."
"Kira, he may have been able to use my escape tunnel," Odin said, attempting to offer hope where there was none. "He knew they were there because he helped me build them."
Kira motioned sharply, cutting Odin off. "I can't."
She just couldn't right now.
She still hadn't dealt with her anger at Diesel for what he might have done. Adding the possibility of his death or survival was too much. She had already grieved his loss once. She wasn’t ready to do it again so soon after getting him back.
Composing herself, she looked at Pallas. "You need to get us out of here. There are three Tsavitee ships inbound."
The ship banked sharply, flying away from the crater and arrowing upward.
Kira caught the back of a seat, Graydon steadying her as gravity caught them. It wasn't long until the ship breached the boundary that separated the planet's atmosphere from space.
"I hope you got what you came for," Pallas said tightly as the trio of Tsavitee trips came into view. "Because we might not be making it out of here in one piece."
"We don't know that they're here for me," Kira said, analyzing the flight pattern of the three ships.
They were coming in fast. On an interception course.
Rothchild's fighters swarmed the ships, unloading their payloads in an effort to hamper their progress.
Pallas snorted as their ship broke off, attempting to place the moon between them and the Tsavitee. "Don't lie to yourself. They're here for you. Someone leaked your location. Again." He shot her a sarcastic glance. "It's almost like humans have a pattern."
"It wasn't us," Brie said, speaking up.
Pallas didn't respond as he focused on dodging any debris still in orbit. His silence, though, expressed his disbelief quite loudly.
Outside, the Tsavitee ships changed course to follow them.
"There—you see. Just like I said. You’re their target."
Kira bit back her retort, glancing at Graydon instead. "I don't suppose you can do what you did down there again."
Graydon shook his head. "It'll be hours before I can summon even the faintest whisper of my soul's breath."
Kira's shoulders sagged. She'd had a feeling that would be his response.
"What about you?" Pallas asked, his eyes on Kira.
"No," Graydon said emphatically, his voice overriding Kira's. He glared at her, looking angrier than she'd ever seen him. "You can't."
Kira’s expression was reluctant. "Let's leave that as a last resort."
"Sure thing," Pallas agreed sarcastically. "It's only all of our funerals."
"I don't think it will come to that, seon'yer." Lathan hit a few buttons and then nodded at the screen. "Look."
A fleet of ships came into focus.
"I don't believe it. They belong to Centcom," Brie said.
As they watched, several ships broke off to engage the Tsavitee fleet.
Pallas frowned as the last of the ships headed in their direction. "What is Centcom doing here? They're supposed to be setting up a defensive posture on one of their more populated planets."