"I see." Kai looked over at Elena to give her a cold smile. "We'll pick this up at a later date."
"Looking forward to it," Elena chirped.
Kai strode away. Fyr lingered, studying Elena for a moment before following.
Elena's breath whooshed out of her as she bent forward to set her hands on her knees, her relief making her light headed. "Did you do that?"
Uncle Jin rubbed his cheek against Elena's in comfort. "What do I always say, Elena mine? Never bring a pulse pistol to a fight of improvised explosives."
Elena straightened. She was pretty sure she'd never heard Uncle Jin say that.
"What did you do?"
His laugh was sinister. "Just a little sabotage here and there. They really should do regular maintenance on their environmental systems. They'll be picking up the pieces for weeks. It'll take at least that long to figure out what happened. If they figure it out."
Elena stroked the lu-ong's head. "I knew you were my favorite uncle."
"Nice try, but we've got bigger problems now." Despite that statement, Uncle Jin leaned into her touch. "They've caught your scent. My distraction won't work for long. We may not have time to wait for a rescue."
Elena dropped her hand. "What does that mean?"
The lu-ong flicked its tongue. "We might have to go with your plan after all."
"You mean the one where we steal a ship?"
"Yeah," Uncle Jin sighed. "That's exactly what I mean."
Twenty Three
Kira - Secret Base
"Are we sure this is the place?" Brie asked, glancing up uncertainly from the view outside the window. "I don't see anything there."
The celestial object that Raider's coordinates had led them to was a rogue planet located in the asteroid belt several light years beyond Rothchild's solar system. In the vast distance of space, this planet could be considered in Rothchild's backyard.
The surface was barren and dark, covered in craters from asteroid impacts.
Its lower gravity would make it an ideal docking station for any fleet looking to do some repairs before their next mission.
"If you could see it easily, it wouldn't be considered a secret base," Kira answered as Lathan guided them along the course he'd been given.
The ship dipped into a canyon whose depth rivaled the Grand Canyon of old Earth, flying straight toward a bank of towering cliffs straight ahead.
"Guest ship—please hold your course. We’re preparing to receive you."
"Understood," Lathan answered.
Brie moved away from the window to stand beside Kira as the cliff parted, allowing light to seep out of the narrow opening. The base's blast doors blended in with the surrounding environment, making them unnoticeable until they opened.
It was an ingenious way of hiding the base from discovery. Unless you knew it was there, it would be nearly impossible to find.
Pallas's ship hadn't picked up any energy readings that might indicate its presence either, until now.
Lathan flew through the membrane protecting the hangar bay's atmosphere from escaping into the void of space.
"This is beyond anything I imagined," Brie whispered, taking in the massive cavern. Several battle cruisers were already docked inside, dwarfing the smaller transport ships around them. The cruisers filled the space, making it difficult to get a clear picture of just how many craft there were.
"It's not bad," Kira said, patting her shoulder before heading toward the cargo bay.
Graydon was already waiting for her at the open hatch. Odin stood next to him in a cloak that looked a lot like the ones Pallas had made Kira and Graydon wear on Rothchild.
Pallas leaned next to the open hatch, his arms crossed over his chest.
Kira arched an eyebrow at him. "You coming too?"
"I'm good here." Pallas scratched his jaw as he glanced outside at the landing bay. "I prefer not to breathe the same air as them."
"Suit yourself."
This worked better for her anyway.
At a nod from her, Graydon nudged Odin out of the ship before following. The J1N and Brie trailed after them.
"Watch yourself, would you?" Pallas said, not looking at Kira as she passed him.
"I always do."
He grunted, hitting the button to close the ship hatch as soon as she was on the other side. It sealed shut with a note of finality.
"J1N, make sure you stay by my side," Kira instructed the drone quietly. "Don't stray."
"Roger that, Nixxy."
With a deep breath, Kira started toward the group waiting for her. Here's hoping she could give the performance of a lifetime.