"I had to deal with a few of your friends. It delayed me."
Aeron grudgingly moved toward the table, not seeming to care when the humans scattered like mice before a feline. He grabbed a chair directly across from Kira, the one that had belonged to Shepperd, and took a seat in it.
"They must not have been my very close friends. Otherwise, you'd be dead," Aeron said with a humorless smile.
"I highly doubt that," Kira murmured.
Shepperd gestured sharply at Aeron. "I'm not sitting at a table with one of them."
Hollis and Bechler's harsh silence showed they agreed.
While they were distracted, Joule shot Kira a quick glance that showed the discipline he was exercising in not throwing himself at her in welcome. Devon was more reserved, giving her a nod in greeting.
Graydon leaned over to Kira, still watching Jace and his fellow humans. "How much longer do they plan to do this?"
Shepperd glared at the emperor's Face. "I'm sorry. Are we keeping you from something?"
Graydon's smile was vaguely contemptuous. "As long as you realize."
Shepperd spun back to Jace. "What are the Tuann doing here again? The only good thing about breaking that alliance is not having to put up with their bullshit any longer. And could somebody please explain what a general is doing on this base!"
"He's here to answer a question that has been plaguing the human race since the last war," Odin declared, touching the sides of the device he'd placed on the table. Shepperd and the other two humans went silent as a star map formed.
Hollis drew closer. "What are we looking at here?"
Odin's smile was small, as if he'd been expecting this question. "When the Phoenix woke from her coma after the contribution she made to the Falling, she didn't retreat from society to go live the lonely life of a salvager and nurse her mental and physical scars."
Hollis frowned and glanced in Kira's direction. "I hadn't heard you were in a coma."
"Himoto kept it secret."
For many reasons. The primary of which was to keep their enemies from taking advantage of Kira's weakened state.
"Get to the point," Kira told Odin.
"I'm getting to that. I have to set the stage first. They need to understand just how much blood, sweat and tears went into procuring this information."
Correction—Odin wanted to grandstand. No amount of prodding on Kira's part was going to hurry that along. In that case, she might as well relax and enjoy the ride.
Aeron huffed, seeming amused at her inability to control the Sye.
"Contrary to popular opinion, it wasn't guilt or sorrow or madness that drove the Phoenix from civilization. It was hope—and a deep seated belief that the war humanity thought over was, in fact, not over. Rather it had gone underground where the enemy could wait and gather strength for its next attack."
Shepperd huffed. "She's a damn prophet."
"Yes, she is," Odin agreed.
Hollis studied the star map thoughtfully. "I take it that her reasons for becoming a salvager had something to do with her beliefs."
"Very good." Odin smiled at the commander. "I see why that old man promoted you—even with all the nasty business over that disputed mining colony."
Hollis's face went cold. "What would you know about that?"
Odin's eye danced. "You'd be surprised at all the things I know."
"Odin," Kira warned in a low tone, waiting until he looked at her. "Get to the point."
"Always so impatient," Odin chided, snapping his fingers.
The map changed. It expanded until a large swath of the galaxy came into view. One dot was brighter than the rest. It was located in the quadrant of space that Odin and Torvald's sources had identified as the likely location of the Tsavitee home world.
"You did it," Kira breathed.
Wren was a statue on Graydon's other side. Motionless. As if he might shatter at any moment. Maksym and Zoella's faces had gone cold, stoic masks as they stared at that dot.
Graydon's expression was alert. A hunter who'd just identified his target.
"This—" Hollis drew closer, looking like she wished she could reach out and touch the home world right here and now.
Shepperd and Bechler were equally fixated. Their fear of Aeron forgotten as they honed in on the star map.
"Are you serious?" Shepperd asked, his earlier antagonism forgotten.
Bechler's expression was fierce as he locked on Odin in expectation.
This was why Jace had invited them to this briefing. It was bait to test their receptiveness to the thought of attacking the Tsavitee home world without orders from Centcom.