"Look, they're selling candy globes," he crooned. "Can we get one?"
"You don't have taste buds," she told him.
"But you do," he said hopefully.
She paused and gave him a frown. "I'm not eating that crap just so you can ride my senses. You can do that when we get to the Wanderer."
Jin was an oddity among oddities. Unique in a universe full of unique things. He was machine but not. Artificial but real.
One of the many things he had discovered over the years was an ability to tap into Kira's senses—taste, smell, touch, sight, and hearing. It allowed him to experience the world on a more human level, turning it from logical data to something tangible he could feel and almost touch.
“Please.”
"That stuff tastes like crap."
"Come on, just one thing," he pleaded.
"What happened to in and out?"
They both stopped when they reached the kiosk, each going silent as they took in the image displayed on the front—a soldier in a Hadron class combat suit riding a waveboard into the upper atmosphere. Emblazoned on the person’s uniform was the image of a bird on fire. Behind the soldier, just breaking through the clouds, were ten more in a perfect V formation. The air was filled with fire as wreckage rained down around them, ships above dying as Tsavitee ground artillery picked them off one by one.
Under the image was emblazoned, "What difference will you make?"
Kira swallowed painfully, unable to move, the sight locking her in place.
The Wave Runners were a specialized and elite military unit, bridging the gap between combat suit and aircraft. The hoverboard under their feet made them faster and more maneuverable than any ship ever could be.
They were a product of the war. Their tactics had evolved to meet the Tsavitee's superior forces head-on—the suits and board compensating for human weakness. Humans might never be as strong or fast, physically, as the Tsavitee, but they were smart and adapted even under the worst of circumstances. The Wave Runners were perhaps the best example of that.
Jin tapped the screen. The image changed, the station’s map and directory appearing.
"Let's concentrate on getting what we need," he said in a quiet voice.
Kira nodded, feeling numb, the earlier argument forgotten as she reached out and began scrolling through the directory.
She hesitated over the name of one vendor. In the description line, it said ship parts.
"Not that one," he said, seeing where she'd stopped. "Their parts have a reputation of breaking as soon as the warranty ends."
She grimaced and continued her search.
"And you can eat and walk," he offered, returning to the former topic. "No reason to stop."
Her sigh was heavy and tired. It was easier to give in. "Fine. One thing."
He let out a happy cheer.
A small smile lifted Kira's lips as she continued to swipe. A familiar name flashed by.
Vander's.
She knew that place. It had been in business when she was a soldier. Back then, they'd offered tech the military didn't provide. They were expensive as hell, but their stuff had been some of the best.
She read the description and smiled. Seemed they hadn't changed much in the years since.
"That might work." Jin leaned over her shoulder. "I wonder if Roxy still works there."
An explosion rocked their terrace from above before Kira could respond. She dropped into a crouch, her heart in her throat as she reached for a weapon she didn't have. Station policy prohibited carrying any type of projectile weapon while in dock.
Screams tore through the air around her as bits of a gondola fluttered down.
She ran to the edge of the terrace, craning her head up as she looked for the source of the explosion.
The bright lick of flame drew her eye as the sail of a small five-seater caught fire two terraces above. The rear third of it looked like a mangled mess as the boat struggled valiantly to stay afloat. Even as she watched, the forward mast snapped. Its engines gave a high-pitched whine as it slowly began to list.
"We don't have to get involved," Jin warned. "Station personnel should respond momentarily."
Kira remained motionless for an interminable moment, her focus glued to the small craft as it tilted further, the engines sputtering.
The craft's engine gave another choking roar. The boat broke loose from its mooring and began to sink. Seeing that, those around her panicked, pushing and shoving, as they fought to get out of the way in case it crashed into their terrace.
"Jin."
"I've already contacted station security. They'll be here in ten minutes."
Kira could see how it would play out.
In five minutes, probably less, the engines would cease function entirely. What was left of the sail would hold for a short time before the weight became too much and it snapped. After that, the craft would either complete its plummet, be torn apart by the winds on the interior of the honeycomb or explode when the fire reached the battery cells.
Station personnel would arrive minutes too late.
The craft rotated, giving Kira a glimpse of those inside. Two children pressed against the windows of the cabin, their mouths open in silent screams, their faces filled with terror.
"Kira."
Kira was moving before he could say more, running parallel to the craft as it began drifting, sinking as smoke billowed out of it.
"Wait for me," he called after her.
She didn't listen. She needed to time this perfectly.
The small sailboat picked up speed in its descent. It drew level with their terrace, missing it by inches as it fell.
She hit the end of the terrace and leaped, free fall and gravity pulling her down, her heart reaching for her throat. She didn't have time to calculate or second-guess. She hit the bow of the sailboat hard, rolling to a stop as it rocked precariously under her.
She recovered, throwing herself back to rebalance. Without the fully functioning engines and the sail, her extra weight could force it to roll.
"Sloppy," Jin chided, appearing over her shoulder.
"Yeah, yeah. Some of us don't have antigravs."
Jin made a small sniff to convey his opinion on that statement.
Kira ignored her prickly companion. "See what you can do about this thing."
He didn't answer, already heading for the engine.
She entered the main cabin.
Two children huddled behind the pilot seats, peeking over the edge at her with large, wary eyes.
Their clothes were expensive and made from a material Kira didn't recognize.
The boy was around thirteen or fourteen, his guarded expression making him seem older despite the faint remnants of baby fat around his cheeks. In a few years, when time and age had refined the lines of his features, the girls would swarm him.
His top lip trembled as he fought to project a strong front.
The other child was much younger, seven or eight. Her eyes were scared, evidence of tear tracks on her face. Her pale, white-blond hair was tied with a silver ribbon. She looked like a doll, pretty and delicate.
"Is there anyone else here?" Kira asked, making her way toward them even as the cabin bucked and swayed under her feet.
They didn't answer, holding silent and still as she examined the cabin.
A charred body was curled in on itself on the floor behind the children’s seats. Black scorch marks climbed the walls to the rear of the cabin. The poor bastard must have tried to protect the children from the fire.