Chapter 14 #3
“Remember that mining colony on NY18? We’re about five light years from it,” Kira explained.
Dylan was suddenly paying very close attention. “Let me remind you of the emperor’s instructions—you’re not to head into the border territory.”
“Technically, we were told not to interfere with any investigation. Locations were never mentioned,” Kira said.
It was the same argument Harlow had made when she expressed the same concern.
“Like I said—letter versus intent,” Jin drawled, already looking excited about the prospect of walking the line of what they could and could not get away with.
“Did you find any indication of which clan is responsible?” Kira asked.
Jin shook his head. “They didn’t leave a calling card.”
Probably because they didn’t want anyone looking for them later.
Annoying but predictable.
“Most of the clans have a presence on Titan,” Kira said, thinking aloud.
The majority of shipping traffic from the mining colonies in the vicinity ran through the station before continuing on to their individual ports of call. Salvagers also worked out of there, due to its proximity to the span of space locally referred to as the Falling.
It was where one of the last major battles of the war took place. It also held the distinction of being the last place Kira used her burst before ending up in a three-year coma.
The ships on both sides that met their end there numbered in the hundreds. The resulting debris and wreckage could be considered its own asteroid belt.
It was difficult to operate in, but a gold mine for Tsavitee tech.
All of which was bought and sold on Titan and her sister stations, O’Riley and Omega.
The best part about Titan though was its lack of law enforcement, making it highly attractive to a certain type of individual.
Larger clans like Red Hand and Drake had headquarters on all three stations, but the smaller outfits usually stuck to Titan.
“You seem to know a lot about human pirates,” Az observed.
“We’ve run across them a time or two,” Kira admitted reluctantly.
It was impossible not to in their former line of work.
Pye leaned over to Bez. “I thought Roake’s heir was a delicate, sheltered flower?” “
Jin guffawed, almost bending over from how hard he was howling. “The Phoenix? Delicate? Sheltered?”
Even Finn fought to hide his smile.
Kira refused to look at her best friend.
“It’s just so hilarious. You served on the front lines. Every. Single. Battle. You have more kills under your belt than probably all of them combined.” Jin wiped the amusement from his face like it had never existed. “It’s almost insulting how deeply they’ve managed to underestimate you.”
Pye flushed, looking uncomfortable.
“Jin, drop it,” Kira instructed, not really in the mood to referee another argument.
“I’m not going to hurt them, Nixxy. I just want to help them clear up a few of their misconceptions.”
Kira eyed Jin’s unhinged smile. “I seem to remember that’s what you said on New Laos too.”
And now they could never return.
All because of his wanting to “explain”.
“This won’t be like that,” Jin assured her.
Sure, it wouldn’t.
Az ignored their exchange and got straight to the heart of the matter. “What’s your history with these so-called pirate clans?”
“Three separate clans have a bounty on her head,” Jin answered.
“Not just mine.”
“It might as well be just yours. There’s no way they’ll recognize me anymore.”
Pye frowned at them. “What did you do to make them so angry?”
“She blew up one of their ships,” Jin announced. A second went by. “After she assassinated their top two clan members.”
Az looked suitably impressed.
“She also dismantled one of the largest clan’s trafficking rings,” Jin blurted.
Kira glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. “You keep saying ‘she’, but I seem to remember you being a willing party in all this. Don’t forget—it was your plan we used to blow up the ship.”
“But you’re the one who started a war against that trafficking ring.”
“They were abducting humans. What was I supposed to do? Walk away?”
Ha. As if.
They’d taken children. He was no more able or willing to look the other way than she had been.
“Also, you’re the one who suggested we hit them where it hurt,” Kira finished.
It had been his idea to poison Red Hand’s bliss crop. When the leaves of the bliss were burned, they emitted a highly addictive smoke. Combine it with a common substance like sugar and you could induce hallucinations. Those who used it claimed to see the future.
Kira didn’t know about that, but she’d seen its aftermath enough times to be wary.
Any future glimpsed was often twisted and dark, leading its users to unspeakable crimes in an effort to prevent them.
“I was just following your lead,” Jin protested.
Bullshit.
Ignoring Kira’s roll of the eyes, Jin focused on the others. “Anyway, after that, a couple of the clans we targeted banded together to put a bounty on us. Whoever takes her head gets to collect.”
“As interesting as the chaos you two claim to be able to cause is,” Bez started, determinedly ignoring Jin’s outraged exclamation, “what makes you think this is the result of pirate activity?”
Jin raised his eyebrows at Kira with a look that asked if she could believe this nonsense.
She could.
“Just answer the question—nicely,” she instructed.
Jin folded his arms and huffed. “I found one of their worms in this place’s radar system.”
There was skepticism on Bez’s face. “That sounds awful convenient.”
“Do you want to explain or shall I?” Jin asked Kira.
“I will.”
If she let Jin, he’d probably do irreparable harm to Bez’s ego.
“Good choice,” Jin grumbled.
“Before I answer your question, I need Jin to answer something first.” She glanced at Jin. “Did the enclave receive a visitor shortly before all communication stopped?”
One side of Jin’s lips curved up in an enigmatic smile as he dipped his chin in a yes.
Bez frowned at Kira. “How did you guess that?”
“It’s a common tactic for the clans. Send in a spy in advance. Usually someone non-threatening. In this instance, any human would have worked.”
“What do you mean?” Pye asked.
“The Tuann underestimate humans. They don’t see them as a threat.”
The enclave probably never saw the betrayal coming.
“I still can’t see it,” Az confessed, looking troubled. “I knew some of these wanderers. Leaving their Houses didn’t destroy their skill. They were highly trained. They wouldn’t have dropped their guard for anything.”
“Even if it was a human child they found?” Jin asked.
Kira shot him a sharp glance. “Are you sure?”
“It was in their records. A ten year old boy was found wandering the forest near the gate. When questioned, the child said his parent’s ship had crash landed and he was the only survivor.”
“They didn’t check his story?” Bez asked.
“Of course they did. However, their search turned up an actual crashed ship with bodies inside.”
“They were thorough,” Kira said.
That wasn’t a good sign.
It pointed to experience and the resources necessary to be able to scuttle a ship. Something the clans tended to horde like dragons did gold.
“Records cut off three days later.”
“That’s probably when the attack happened,” Kira guessed.
“At first, they reported issues with the defense barrier. They decided to stand down some of their systems to attempt a fix. They never came back online.”
“This is all supposition and hypothesis. You have no real evidence pointing to one of these so-called pirate clans’ involvement,” Bez argued.
“Now you’re just ignoring what’s right in front of your face,” Jin complained.
“All we have is your word that there was a signature.”
Jin whipped his head toward Kira as she went utterly still. “Oh fuck.”
“You will not talk to him that way,” she advised in her softest voice. She sounded gentle. Kind even. But the look in her eyes was vicious. She could tolerate a lot, but Jin was her line in the sand. They would show respect.
Az touched Bez’s shoulder and shook her head.
“I’m just saying that it makes more sense for this to be the work of Tuann rebels rather than human pirates,” Bez said.
“We’re not here to hunt rebels,” Kira warned.
They were here to find Caius. No one else.
“Do you understand?” Kira asked.
Az nodded. “We do.”
“Good because I don’t want to have this conversation again.”
They wouldn’t like it if she was forced to rehash something that should have already been settled.
“You won’t. You have my word,” Az promised.
Kira hoped so.
“Since you’re still unconvinced, you should finish your search of the rest of the enclave. Maybe it will yield an alternative explanation for what happened here,” Kira suggested.
She wouldn’t hold her breath though. This was the work of a pirate clan. She could feel it in her bones.
“We’ll do just that,” Bez bit out.
He tilted his head at the other two.
With a hint of reluctance in her manner, Az followed Bez and Pye back down the hallway.
“This would be a lot easier if they would simply take us at our word,” Jin complained.
“They don’t know us.”
Jin looked up at Kira. “They also don’t trust us.”
Her smile was brief. “Yes.”
And until they did, they’d keep wasting time.