Home > Work > Rules of Redemption (The Firebird Chronicles, #1)
1 " Himoto had once called war ninety percent boredom so extreme you'd do anything for relief and ten percent sheer, unrelenting terror. "
― T.A. White , Rules of Redemption (The Firebird Chronicles, #1)
2 " I'm going to appeal to his better nature," Graydon said. Solal sighed. "You mean you're going to threaten him." Graydon shrugged. Same difference. "
3 " You're a menace," Finn told her. Kira nodded. "So I've been told." She'd never let that stop her before. She didn't see why she'd change now. "
4 " She'd learned many hard lessons about the peril of letting hope run away with you. It was the ultimate liar, an illusion turning smart people into fools, sundering their hearts from their chests when hope inevitably crashed them against the rocky shore. "
5 " The weak tend to travel in packs, "
6 " She'd found being proactive worked a whole heck of a lot better than waiting for others to make the decisions for you. "
7 " In and out, my ass," she told Jin as she sidestepped the man she'd dumped at her feet and moved toward Spitzy. "This isn't my fault. No one told you to perform feats of heroism. You did that all on your own," Jin griped as he trailed her. "
8 " 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. Almost magical. "
9 " Sometimes storms revealed hidden treasures, wiping away the old rot and replacing it with something stronger. Other times they washed everything away, leaving nothing in their wake but devastation. "
10 " What do you want, tin can?" Raider asked. "You know that's not my name, meat sack. "
11 " Just make sure you're not caught, will you?" Kira said. He snorted. "I'm not the one who always gets caught." She shot him a dirty look. He might have had a point, but she didn't have to like it. "
12 " Humans, whatever they might mean to the Tuann, had saved her. At her lowest moments, they'd found her, given her warmth and companionship. Not just once, but many times. She'd sacrificed more than Graydon would ever know for humanity's cause, for their very survival. She might have distanced herself from them, but it didn't mean she'd forgotten. Nor did she plan to leave them behind because it was convenient. "
13 " How much energy does she need to burn to be a reasonable person?" Jin asked, ignoring the exchange. "
14 " You seem to think I'm easy to kill. I'm not." "This is a true statement," Jin agreed. "She's like a cockroach, only hardier. "
15 " This was a mistake," she said. For so many reasons that she couldn't afford to name. "One I fully intend to repeat again and again." She had no answer for that, choosing to stage a tactical retreat instead. "
16 " This particular ship was smack dab in the middle of the field. Kira hoped the increased risk of its location meant great reward since most salvagers were smart enough to keep to the outskirts to avoid puncturing the outer hull of their ships. "
17 " wouldn't have attacked him. I would have waited until he was alone and vulnerable, and then crushed him so utterly he would never have dared show his face in front of me again. "
18 " She took another step and shook her head when he moved with her. "Are you planning to watch me sleep?" "Yes." She frowned at him. "No." "It is not your decision," he told her politely. Or that's what it should have been. Instead, it came off as sounding more like “Fuck you.” Kira should know. She'd pulled the same trick on more than one commanding officer. Strange to have it turned around on her. "
19 " The weapon chasing her through the wreckage looked like a long silvery ribbon. It moved as if it were organic, darting around pieces of metal with a lithe, sinuous glide as it followed Kira. It reminded her of Earth's eels. She'd never seen one personally but she'd seen pictures in books and in video. "
20 " 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. "
