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People.”
    Was
Niail saying what she thought? Did he come from the stars, or was he making fun
of her traditions? Her eyes narrowed as she continued to gaze at him. His
expression was open and there was no sign that he was lying.
    “Are
you one of the Star People?”
    “No.”
Niail glanced down at the table before looking back at her. “I am not an
Ancient.”
    “Are
you from earth?”
    “No.”
    Her
mind swirled with the implications. If he wasn’t from Earth, then he was an
alien. A shiver went through her. The stories her people told of being visited
by people from other planets were true. Those visits were long ago, though. Why
was Niail here now? Did this mean the Ancients planned to harm Earth?
    “Perhaps
if you gave me some information about your life and how you came to be here, I
would be less confused.”
    Niail
leaned back in his chair. “I was bred and trained as a warrior.”
    “By
bred, I assume you mean when you were created.” Kimi leaned her elbows on the
table.
    “Yes.”
Niail’s voice was devoid of emotion. “We have been genetically modified since
the beginning of time. We are not born of women. We are bred in a laboratory
and then taught to fight.”
    “You
had no childhood?” Kimi’s stomach tightened. “You weren’t raised by a family?”
    “We
had each other.”
    “That’s
inhumane.”
    “That
is how it has been for eons. We begin our lessons as soon as we can walk.”
    “How
was that possible?” Kimi put her hands around her coffee mug. “You would have
been too young to do much.”
    “We
had enhancers and implants to help us.” Niail’s jaw tightened. “I have been
altered to be the best warrior possible. I am clan Giath, which means my genes
were improved to perfect my precision and reaction time. I have perfect aim.”
    “So
you’re a marksman?” Kimi’s voice held a note of doubt. “I didn’t think a skill
could be genetically coded.”
    “Many
things are possible on Cygnus. It is more advanced than Earth.”
    “Are
other things programed into you?”
    Niail
nodded. “We were also bred to obey. We were the elite warriors for the Kaladin,
who ruled Cygnus since time began.”
    Kimi
took a sip of coffee. There was something in Niail’s eyes that flickered when
he mentioned the Kaladin. Some hidden hurt or memory that was unpleasant.
    “What
happened?”
    “You
perceive too much.” Niail frowned.
    “I
can see it in your eyes.” Kimi’s voice was dry. “There is something that you
are hiding.”
    “There
was a civil war on Cygnus and the Holman defeated the Kaladin. They destroyed
or imprisoned all Kaladin except the High Council, and then they ordered the
execution of all Hunters.”
    “But
you’re alive.” Kimi put down her mug and leaned closer to Niail.
    “Our
leader, Ardal, disobeyed the execution order.” Niail’s voice held pride. “He
chose to let us die fighting so we would have honor in our death.”
    “You
didn’t die, though.”
    “No.”
Niail grinned. “The Holman ship was filled with inferior soldiers. We defeated
them and took over the vessel. Unfortunately it crashed on earth.”
    “So
how long have you been here?”
    “It
has been almost a year.” Niail raised an eyebrow. “We have adapted well to our
new home. We also found that there were other Hunters on this planet. They have
been here for over thirty years.”
    Kimi
frowned. “They must be old men.”
    “This
planet has advantages for us.” Niail shrugged. “We heal faster, we move
quicker, we age slower, and with our implants deactivated we can be as normal
men.”
    Normal
men? Kimi took another sip of coffee. Niail’s eyes had not left hers and
somehow she knew his meaning was important. She put her cup down.
    “How
were you different before?”
    “We
were not allowed to mate.”
    “Never?”
    “It
was forbidden.” Niail rubbed a small scar on his right forearm. “Our implants
made certain we would not have the desire.”
    “But
surely that has changed