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“If you had not acted as you did, dearest cousin, we would have lost the last Altaeth,” she said, her lower lip quivering.

She extended one hand towards Jace, but did not go so far as to touch him. He reached for her and they clasped hands. Her palm was warm and dry while her fingers were cool. She brushed those fingers over the back of his hand in a sort of wonder.

“Khoth is incredible,” Jace said. “I’m Jace, by the way.”

“The Pilot,” she murmured.

“Yes, but Jace is fine,” he found himself saying.

“Jace,” she seemed to be tasting his name and nodded. “I am Arana. I would be honored if we could call each other by our first names.”

“Me, too.” Jace nodded. “But, may I ask, how did you know I was an Altaeth? It was… surprising when your brother seemingly guessed.”

Her eyes widened. She glanced back at her brother as if to question why he hadn’t explained. Typhon merely gazed back neutrally as if to make it her choice what she said. She turned back to him. The selchitte clacked. Jace tried not to express his dismay at the thought that Khoth no longer had his.

“Our family was the first to occupy this compound after the Altaeth left,” she explained. “It had not been ransacked and the tech taken or destroyed. We were able to find an intact--”

“Database,” Jace found himself saying.

I’ve found it, Jace! Gehenna cried. Oh, it’s totally off-line. Not on the network at all. It appears to be on a shielded parallel network!

What database? There is no database in that structure, the Osiris growled.

Why couldn’t the Osiris find it but you can, Gehenna? Jace asked.

Because… oh, it was made by the same people who made me! Gehenna cried, her round head whirling around. I need to physically access it to get all of the information! Follow me!

She was suddenly wheeling towards the steps that led down into the compound. Arana had stopped talking and was blinking at him. Typhon looked mildly alarmed, especially when Jace grabbed Khoth’s arm and tugged him after Gehenna.

“I’m sorry,” Jace said with a rather wild laugh, “we have to go see this database. Right now.”

Database

“We can show you the database!” Amana offered as she and Typhon hurried after them.

“Oh, we know the way. Gehenna’s like a dog with a bone about stuff like this!” Jace waved over his shoulder at her.

“Oh, well, you know--”

“Don’t worry! We’ve got this covered!” Jace flashed a brilliant smile at her. He’d even taken off his sunglasses now that they were inside the compound.

The ball that was Gehenna rolled ahead at top speed down the steps towards a lift. Khoth found himself jogging then running to keep up with her and Jace. They soon left their own crew members as well as Typhon and Amana behind. The moment the three of them were in the sleek lift that smelled of jotun flowers, the doors shut and they were on their way to the lowest floor. Jace smiled up at him with an almost delirious look of delight.

“There’s likely going to be a ton of stuff about the Altaeth on this. Like, you know, customs and stuff. Important stuff.” Jace blushed and ducked his head.

“Stuff? Is that a technical term I do not yet understand?” Khoth lifted an eyebrow.

Jace blushed a hotter red, which Khoth found quite fascinating as it coursed beneath the collar of Jace’s uniform. He admitted to himself that he truly wished to know how far that color extended. But he also admitted to himself that it was inappropriate to think that. Then Jace leaned against him, cuddling there as the lift rocketed downwards. Gehenna’s little dome head tilted to the side and she let out an audible, “Awwwwww.”

Khoth did not resist the urge to kiss the top of Jace’s head. Jace lifted his face up and a second kiss was placed upon Jace’s lips.

“Whatever this stuff is, I am eager to understand if it brings out the desire to kiss in you,” Khoth admitted even as he felt his own cheeks bluing.

Jace beamed. “I always want to kiss you and it was killing me not to do it earlier.”

“That is a saying, yes? You were not actually being killed--”

“No, Khoth, I wasn’t. It was just very hard. Excruciatingly hard. So I feel we earned that kiss,” Jace told him, squeezing his arm.