6. Glimmering Wraiths
6
Glimmering Wraiths
ISSA
T he admiral clipped in a taut tone. ‘We have a diplomatic row unfolding.’
Issa exhaled in relief.
Not her shit in the shitter, then.
She had no more time to muse on her chances at navigating Ki’Remi’s hunt for the truth because her boss’s boss cleared his throat, his face tight, lips pursed.
‘Look lively, you two. We’ve got an inquisition to get through.’
Admiral Rhye wasn’t prone to dramatics, which made his growled delivery even more unnerving.
He turned, motioning with a stiff nod and wave, as a live holo-stream flickered into existence before them.
A group of men and women crowded the projection, their distinct facial features marking them Allorians.
Issa recognized them from a briefing file on the tribes of the planet biome.
Cloaked in indigo, their robes were embroidered with silver and gold insignia, the patterns representing their place in the tribe, lineage, and unbreakable will.
This was now expressed in the faces of the group as if carved from stone, their glowing violet eyes filled with thinly veiled fury as they assessed the trio in front of them with cold hostility.
This was not starting well.
‘Greetings, Elders of Lothakin,’ the Admiral intoned with a short bow of respect.
He launched into introductions. ‘May I present Ki’Remi Sable, the ship’s Head Surgeon, and Issa Elaris, his second surgical assistant in charge? Both doctors operated on Zera.’
One of the seniors stepped forward, his heavy silver collar catching the glow of the transmission field.
His wrinkled face and hardened gaze encapsulated his displeasure.
‘Explain.’ His timbre was muted, gritted. ‘Now.’
Issa stiffened.
Ki’Remi didn’t flinch. He met the challenge, unfazed.
He clasped his hands over his chest. ‘Zera is stable. The surgery was successful.’
That didn’t seem to impress them.
A female elder with intricately braided white hair and harsh features tilted her head. Her eyes gleamed like twin ice chips.
‘She should never have left,’ she hissed. ‘You have violated an ancient pact. Our laws state that off-worlders cannot provide medical aid to our people lest our DNA and records are misused and misappropriated as they were during the Allorian War.’
Ah, hell.
Issa resisted the urge to rub her temples.
In her time, she’d stood before many pissed-off high councils.
However, this level of seething disapproval had a different flavor: anger, suspicion, and betrayal.
‘We didn’t reach out to her; she came to us for help,’ Ki’Remi stated, timbre smooth but unyielding.
‘Tis not the point. You should have consulted with the Elders the second she contacted you.’
The Rider’s nostrils thinned. ‘Might I remind you, Elder Council, that Zera has a legal-enforceable right to access medical care if she chooses. Also, tis a fact that your clinical facilities are limited and are not suited to the procedure she requires. She needed and requested urgent attention. Under the duty of care memorandum we’ve signed with the Allorian Prime sovereign government, we must treat her,’ Ki’Remi clipped. ‘If you have a problem with protocol, I suggest you take it up with your planetary authorities.’
A shared inhalation rose from the Elders as if he struck them.
Issa restrained a wince.
Sable, your bedside manner is absolute trash, she wanted to blurt out.
The Elder woman’s nostrils flared. ‘She is a tribal member first before she is Allorian. Our traditions bind her. She knew the consequences of seeking outside intervention.’
‘She still made her choice,’ the Sableman stated. ‘Take it up with her when she wakes.’
‘May I?’ Issa spoke up, eyes canted to the Admiral.
At his nod, Issa went for the emotional angle. ‘With all due respect, Elders, there was no other way to keep her alive. We had to act fast; otherwise, she may not have made it.’
The first male elder’s gaze turned icy. ‘That was not your decision. It was mine, as her father and guardian.’
Ki’Remi, standing like a monolith of restraint, exhaled. ‘Elder Okaban, is it?’
The man gave him a terse acknowledgment.
‘We were not apprised of that fact. However, Allorian women have autonomy from their parents and husbands to make medical decisions after the age of 23. Am I right?’
Elder Okaban simmered, his rising ire evident in his flushed face. ‘Tis. Still, we hold this violation in considerable contempt. You have insulted us.’
The Sableman’s lips quirked as he crossed his hands over his massive chest and leaned into the holo cam.
‘When we’ve sent hundreds of doctors and medics to you? Provided millions of schills in aid and healthcare support and helped thousands in your province recover after the horrors of said war? You still think we mean you harm?’
Ki’Remi’s deep, timbered rumble echoed through the ready room, the holo screen, and over the Elder’s, evident in how they jolted at his admonishment.
Fokkin’ fantastic, Issa thought.
A tense, throbbing silence fell.
The temperature in the room fell as diplomacy teetered on the edge of collapse.
Admiral Rhye, the very picture of exhausted patience, spoke again.
‘What’s done is done, Elders. Let Zera explain herself to you. We will arrange immediate transport for Zera back to Alloria Prime.’
That at least stopped the impending detonation.
The Elders exchanged glances, their displeasure still palpable, but no further objections followed.
‘Ensure she arrives unharmed,’ was Okaban’s final disdainful dismissal.
The holo-stream flickered off, leaving thick silence in its wake.
Ki’Remi sucked his teeth, arms folded. ‘That was a waste of my fokkin ’ time.’
Admiral Rhye raised a brow. ‘While your time is valuable, Sable, so is keeping peace with the people we claim to serve.’
‘I’m well aware,’ the colossal medic growled.
Issa didn’t dare say a word; she only pursed her lips.
The admiral, unmoved, leaned against his desk. ‘Part of this job is diplomacy, my friend. You know that, given how much you and the Sable Group have a stake in this fleet.’
Issa jolted, eyes narrowing as she turned to Ki’Remi.
She arched an eyebrow. ‘Is that right? I’ve heard of the influential Sable Group. Don’t they design luxury flyers and racing yachts?’
‘They do,’ the Admiral said.
‘Which makes Commander Sable a Rider.’
Issa drew out her words and stated them in a semi-awed tone.
He was a Rider.
Infamous as ghosts, wraiths, and glimmers in the dark shadows of Pegasi.
Also, as some of the galaxy’s most lethal metahumans with exponential reach.
Somehow, caught up in her mission and purpose, she’d never considered his identity.
Fokk.
Ki’Remi sucked his teeth, and the Admiral chuckled.
‘ Naam , but he doesn’t like it to be open knowledge,’ the naval leader said. ‘The profit they gain from their high-tech manufacturing of surveillance drones, weapons, and military vessels underwrites all the security, charity, and rescue work they invest in. Including this dreadnought.’
The man beside her tensed, his jaw clenching, but the Admiral continued. ‘In essence, Ki’Remi and his fellow Riders are the silent philanthropists of the entire mercy ship fleet.’
Issa blinked, then turned to the Sableman.
Ki’Remi exhaled through his nose, his silver eyes murky with irritation, annoyed, aggravated that he had been outed.
Issa grinned. ‘Huh. Color me impressed.’
Admiral Rhye dismissed them with a short, amused chuckle. ‘Issa, Ki’Remi is the true boss around here. Do what he says.’
Ki’Remi’s gaze was like carved steel, his voice flat. ‘I follow protocol, Admiral. You outrank me in the Pegasi Galactic Army, so I must and will always take your lead.’
Rhye’s smirk deepened. ‘Of course you will. To that end, take one of the cruisers and see that Zera arrives in one piece.’
Ki’Remi gave the Admiral a mock salute, which the military man returned.
They shared a turn of their lips and a chin lift.
The Sableman swiveled and gestured for Issa to leave the room ahead of him.
A gentleman, too.
Hell, she still had a lot to unpack about this man.
The doors slid shut behind them with a hiss of air pressure, leaving the two of them alone in the hushed metallic corridor.
Ki’Remi prowled off, and Issa caught up, her mouth quirking. ‘False humility, Sable?’
His jaw tightened, clenched in the way he had, that sent a ripple through his nape, emphasizing his muscled neck.
‘ Nada ,’ she mused, eyeing him like a predator sizing up prey.
Then, with prescient insight, she added, ‘I assumed your arrogance was pride, but it’s sheer confidence in your abilities.’
She tilted her head.
‘Impressive.’
Ki’Remi didn’t respond, but a twitch at his temple, the controlled restraint in his hands, gave him away.
‘Seems you don’t like being told you’re impressive.’
He sucked his teeth, slowed his roll to a silent stop, turned his beautiful head, the locs still caught up in his surgical cap, and nailed her with silver aureate-flecked eyes.
‘Didn’t say I don’t like it. I like it.’
‘I see,’ Issa whispered.
He leaned in, head tilted, eyes blazing into her soul. ‘What I don’t appreciate, woman, is that you still owe me a fokkin’ explanation, and flattery won’t get you out of it.’
His glowing orbs flared and glowed with a warning, piercing her to the core.
‘You still owe me an explanation. Now that you know the true boss, you’ve no choice but to comply with the entire truth. Lest I kick your ass to the curb of space-time.’