"I'm not sure yet."
They reached the top of the hill, the terrain on the other side coming into view.
Kira's expression changed.
"What is it?" Graydon's gaze went from Kira to the vista before them. His brow furrowed in confusion. "Are those ships?"
A raw sound left Kira. "It's the Vega."
Kira's former home. And the final resting place for many of her friends.
Sixteen
"How is this possible?" Kira asked The Vega should be drifting amidst an asteroid field comprised of debris from the moon while making its way through the system. Not sitting on Rothchild as if the ship's demise had been nothing more than a clever illusion meant to torment her.
Even with the snow banks piled up against the ship's side, there was evidence of a crash. A trail of broken trees and deep grooves in the ground that extended at least half a mile. Maybe more. It had left the ship's nose and belly half buried in the ground. Holes riddled the exterior, making it look like the Swiss cheese of old Earth. A large section in the aft was missing. There was also an easily discernible, vertical crack running right up its middle. As if someone had taken the ship and broken it in half.
Kira shook her head. "The military never authorized a recovery mission."
"They didn't. Rothchild did." Brie glanced at her. "It was important to us to bring the Vega and her crew home rather than leave them up there with the enemy."
Kira forced the stinging in her eyes away. "You recovered the bodies?"
"Some. Not all."
Hope squeezed Kira's throat, making her voice strained and tight. "The Curs?"
Brie's expression extinguished the hope that had just started to bloom. Kira didn't need the shake of her head that followed.
Of course they hadn't been able to recover her friends' bodies. If that had been even a remote possibility, she or Jin would have done it themselves by now.
It was likely there was nothing left to recover.
"I'm sorry. We weren't able to locate them." Brie nodded to the trees off to the right of the Vega. "We built a monument to memorialize everyone’s sacrifice."
Graydon's hand slipped into Kira's as Brie moved away. He used his hold to tug her closer. She let her weight rest against him as she stared at the Vega.
Graydon pressed his lips against the side of Kira's head. "You still with me?"
Kira's laugh was more of a sob. Her defenses crumpled as she slumped against Graydon's side. A tiny shake of her head was all she could manage.
All the progress she'd been so proud of was undone with a single glimpse of the Vega.
Poof. Gone.
The pain that flooded in felt almost as fresh as that first day.
Graydon wrapped his arms around her and set his chin on the top of her head. "We're going to get through this, coli."
Kira rested her cheek on his chest. "Every time I think I've conquered this, something happens to draw me right back."
"That's the thing about grief. It's reluctant to release you from its grasp."
The soothing rumble of Graydon's voice under her ear was comforting.
"I wish I could bring them home."
She hadn't realized just how much until she saw the Vega.
"They already are, coli." Graydon pulled back, tapping her head and then her chest. "You carry them with you wherever you walk. Hasn't the Mea'Ave taught you at least that much?"
Kira's laugh was watery. "You sound so corny right now."
But he was right. She did carry the Curs with her. The crew of the Vega too.
She'd found that weight unbearable once. No more. They were her reason for standing. They'd be proud of what she was doing. Going after Jin and Elena despite the odds. They'd think she was crazy, but they'd be right there with her if she'd asked.
"Better?" Graydon asked, his eyes steady on Kira as she pushed herself upright.
Her nod was short as she gave his hand one last squeeze. "I might need you again before this is over."
"Anytime, cheva nier. You know that."
She was beginning to.
There were only a handful of people Kira had ever been willing to lean on in tough times. Just three, in fact. One of whom was no longer as trustworthy as she'd once been.
Graydon was different though.
He'd become as important as Jin. Her bond with him cherished every bit as much.
It was strange how someone she'd known for such a short time could become as interwoven into the pattern of her soul as Graydon was.
But he had.
She thanked every higher entity out there that her mountain had withstood every test she'd put him through to remain by her side. Not many would have bothered.