"How do you know that?" Kira asked.
"I have my ways."
Sure, he did. Just like Odin. And Graydon. It seemed only Kira was consistently out of the loop. She might need to fix that sooner rather than later.
Centcom’s ships began firing on the Tsavitee. The barrage was quick and furious, resulting in one demolished Tsavitee ship before too long.
"We're being hailed," Lathan announced.
Pallas looked at Kira. "Did you know they were coming?"
"No."
There was distrust in Pallas's gaze before he turned back around. "Answer it."
Lathan hit a button. Raider appeared on screen.
Surprise rendered Kira nearly speechless.
"Raider?"
"The one and only."
Jace moved into view. "Just so you know, he's not alone."
Kira shot Raider a hard look. "I thought you were avoiding him."
"Let's just say we ran into some trouble ourselves."
Jace moved out of the range of the camera, but Kira could hear him calling commands to his subordinates.
She lowered her voice. "What about the package? Is it safe?"
"As safe as we could make it," Raider responded. "How about you? Did you get what you were looking for?"
Odin moved into view and waved.
He nodded, his features loosening with relief. "That's good. That's very good."
"What about Wren and the others?" Graydon asked.
"They're here too. Along with a few friends I wasn't expecting when I began this journey," Raider said with a pointed look at the emperor's Face.
Graydon suppressed a smile, his expression the picture of innocence when Kira looked at him.
Spotting Pallas to the side, Raider arched an eyebrow at Kira. "You left him alive. That's surprising."
"Be careful of your words, boy." Pallas's grin was nasty. "I don't share her attachment for your kind. I can and will kill you if I get bored."
"Why is each of your siblings crazier than the last?" Raider complained.
Kira rolled her lips between her teeth at Pallas's furious expression. There was something satisfying in watching Raider get under Pallas's skin so effortlessly.
"I'm sending you some coordinates," Raider said as he ignored her brother. "They're about half a day out. It's an abandoned combat outpost from the last war. Rendezvous with us there. I'll explain the rest when we're face-to-face."
"Understood," Kira said as Raider vanished from the screen.
Pallas sniffed. "I don't know what Elise ever saw in him."
"Next time you see her you can ask her."
Hopefully, it wouldn’t be too long now.
"Why would Centcom have a stronghold so close to Rothchild?" Brie asked with some confusion. "Our planet and this section of space doesn't have any known strategic value."
"It's Himoto's secret base," Kira answered.
Sometimes it was scary how prescient her former mentor had been.
"I have the coordinates," Lathan said, speaking up. "Should I plot a course?"
Pallas twisted his chair to face Kira. "I don't know. Should we?"
"They did just save our asses," Kira said mildly, ignoring the challenge on his face.
Pallas reclined in his seat. "Yes, because walking into another den of humans after barely escaping the last one with our lives seems like such a great idea."
"You were in danger? It looked to me like you cleared out when you caught wind of something going down."
Then returned at the most opportune moment for him.
"I thought it best to move the ship out of harm’s way. Good thing too. Or it may have been the one targeted by that city breaker."
Kira bit back her words, settling for glaring at him instead.
Pallas swiveled his chair to face front, saying over his shoulder, "Seeing as I've agreed to follow your lead, I can be magnanimous this once."
"How kind of you.”
"I'm aware. Just don't get used to it. Next time we're going with my plan."
"You mean the one where you kill everyone involved?"
His smile was slow and wicked. "Exactly."
Elena - Tsavitee Planet
"Nothing to say to me?" Elise asked, fiddling with one of the utensils Elena had sharpened into a fine point. "That's fine; I have plenty."
Elena was quiet, watching her egg donor carefully. The sleeve of her shirt shifted as Uncle Jin unwrapped himself from around Elena's bicep before working his way up to her shoulder.