Rules of Redemption (The Firebird Chronicles, #1)

by T.A. White

He put the strange woman and her fierce expression out of his mind. Not an easy task. Something about her warned him she would one day be important to him. At home, you could sometimes feel the coming of a storm when there wasn't a cloud in the sky. He got the same feeling when he looked at her.

The sidelong look Himoto slid her way told her he knew why she'd decided against returning to her ship. To her surprise, he dipped his chin in a small nod and didn’t push before heading to the lift.

I hate him. And Graydon. Everyone has made it clear that they think of her as a possession, and that makes them all enemies.

Jace paused next to Kira. "You really going to be all right with this?"

Fuck you for even asking. You don't give a shit about her or Jin.

"It’ll be hard to convince them to relinquish their claim on you if you never talk to them," Jace said. Kira grunted. He didn't care about that.

Exactly. He could do everyone a favor and stuff his opinions up his ass.

Yes, she was not as he believed. He'd do well to remember this lesson. Humans had proved deceptively capable in the past, and for all that she was Tuann, her time with the humans had left its stamp.

She didn't deceive you, asshole. Your mammoth ego caused you to underestimate her.

Kira made a wry expression. She'd forgotten. If this was her home, it was Jin's too. When he'd been alive in the traditional sense, he'd been like her, his abilities different but strange.

Oh awesome. Was he another kid in the facility then?

Blue's gaze darted to Finn before she stepped closer to the two of them and lowered her voice. "Because it means at some point in Earth's past the Tuann visited, saw the runes, and then etched them into this place."

Looool yeah, totally sure the super advanced aliens copied the primitive humans. Try the other way around, moron.

Blue was the technician’s specialist for the Curs, but she was also more than that. Jin had pulled her records—all their records—while still near O’Reilly’s orbit. Blue had several degrees and PhDs in fields Kira had never even heard of before. The level of her intelligence was awe-inspiring, more so since she had elected to take a position in the military—a path not many with her capabilities would have embarked upon.

I wonder if Blue is Odin.

"That's right. The odds of it being coincidence are so infinitesimally small it's not worth calculating. If one symbol was similar, maybe, but I've seen at least ten." Blue stared at both of them before slapping the doorframe. "These originated on Earth." Or they originated with the Tuann, and Earth's ancient people appropriated the runes for their own use, Kira thought.

Exactly! But Blue has several PhDs hahaha sure

"Thanks, I hadn't figured any of that out for myself," Kira said tartly.

Right? He's a condescening asschasm.

"The ruma ah. It's a series of tests all Tuann seeking to join a House undergo.

She's not seeking to join, so why would she take this test?

"Kira was hurt during the Falling," Jin said, referencing one of the biggest battles of the war, the one that had turned the tide. "She was in a coma for the last three years of the war. She only woke up about seven years ago. That’s when all this came out."

I hate them so much for never even looking for the truth. Just happily blaming Kira.

"He let us think you'd betrayed us," Jace said, emotion throbbing in his voice. His eyes were glassy as he shook his head, walking out of the room without another word, his expression lost and confused.

And that's unforgivable. I think Himoto is the one betraying humanity. That said, you fucks drew your conclusions without even bothering to look into it further or talk to her. She doesn't owe you ANYTHING. You've been nothing but horrible to her.

It wasn't lost on Kira that Roderick had taken her guard and left her with none to replace him. Given she'd survived two assassination attempts, she had to wonder if that was purposeful and if Graydon or Finn knew.

Yep. Roderick is either evil or a fucking moron. I don't know which is worse, frankly.

Because humans hadn’t overseen that camp or the countless others she’d tracked down in secret through the years. Tsavitee had.

Holy shit. If all the Houses were invaded and lost children, and the Tsavitee were the ones experimenting on the kids, then odds are that there are Tuann working with the Tsavitee too!

"What are they doing?" he asked with a scowl. "Practicing," Kira said succinctly. "Practicing for what?" "The shitstorm that is life."

No joke

"What does a primus do?" Kira asked. Both shrugged and shook their head. "We don't know. Our House didn't have one either and they just said each great House's primus was different. All we know is they’re capable of bringing down a Tsavitee fleet by themselves."

Sounds like her nuclear bomb ability

"What does that mean?" Kira asked. Graydon’s smirk said checkmate. "It means you're not going anywhere. You're ours, and we mean to keep you."

That's flattering and all, but I'm not impressed that none of these assholes ask - or even care - what she wants. She's not a fucking possession, nor is she their slave. Her old team, Graydon, this other family, they all treat her like a fucking gold statue they are bargaining over. Fuck them all. She's a PERSON. She has goals of her own, dammit!