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Some of the other students seemed just as new to the CRD as she was, and it made sense. It was mostly high-ranking officials’ kids training in the bow at command level. There was one exception. Peter had that relaxed air of someone who was intimately familiar with the place. He moved through the throng like he belonged there. Kaia shoved through to catch up to him.
“You’re from here.”
He shot her a sideways glare. “I live here, genius.”
“What’s it like?” She ignored the sarcasm. For now. Isabelle had nothing of use for her, but Peter’s insight about the CRD could come in handy one day.
He shoved his hands in his pockets and jutted his chin toward a row of metal doors lining the wall they’d been strafing. “Those are residences. Two families per unit. It’s loud. Satisfied?”
Kaia chewed her inner cheek. One of the doors opened with a manual push from the inside, revealing the glimpse of a carpeted space. The smell wafting through it made mouth water: sugar and warm dough.
“Smells better than where I’m from,” she said.
“Didn’t know it was a competition.”
Kaia grunted as someone shoved past her, sending her stumbling back.
“Did you just roll your eyes?” She scowled at Peter when she caught back up with him.
“You don’t know how to move down here. Gotta go with the flow, princess.”
Does this asshole want to die?
“Hey!” Kaia jumped in front of him, blocking his way. “You don’t get to fucking call me that.”
Peter sniffed, sidestepping her. “Sorry. Isabelle’s right, only your monster boyfriend gets to do that.”
“What the hell is your problem?”
Peter glared, but Kaia was mostly just confused. She’d barely interacted with this jerk. What was his issue?
“Your in-laws’ suicide mission is myproblem,” Peter snapped. He pointed, and Kaia followed him to a quieter place near the outer wall. She kept an eye on the rest of her course up ahead. She shouldn’t let them get too far; this guy didn’t seem stable.
“Wanna tell me what the fuck you mean before taking it out on me?”
Peter looked off to the side, his jaw working like he wanted to turn his teeth to dust.
“I don’t have all day, Peter.”
“My dad’s Uploading before we leave,” he said, looking past her. “He thinks this expedition is some conspiracy. Doesn’t think he can live through the stress of another one.”
“How’d he get the chips for that?”
Shit, don’t sound too excited, Kaia.
Peter gave her a perplexed look because of course she missed—or ignored—his point.
“Life fucking savings, Kaia. My dad used to have a good job up on the command deck. Was a planetary archaeologist. Now he’s leaving me alone down here because your ‘royal family’ decided to take us on an expedition that makes no sense.”
Forget the fact that these people werenother family, or that none of this was her fault. Peter was presenting her with a golden opportunity. “Why doesn’t it make sense?”
Peter shrugged. “Hell if I know. He’s a real enthusiast for Earth hunting. Tried to contact Mare Halena a bunch of times, telling her not to send us into that fucking galaxy. Thinks there’s something bad there. Won’t tell me what. He wantedmeto off myself instead at first. Do you realize how fucked up that is? Having your father try to convince you to…” He trailed off.
Itwasfucked up. But more than that, it was interesting.
“When I said no,” Peter continued, “he said he’d do it himself. Said he doesn’t think we’re coming back from this, so he doesn’t want to take his chances.”
Kaia leaned against the wall, processing. The man was probably crazy, but Orion had also questioned his mother’s choice of destination. And Mare Halena seemed very set on keeping Orion out of the way of those plans. Were Peter’s father’s theories just the work of an unhinged mind, or could they be based on something real?
