Read Online Star Force: Penance (SF49) by Aer-ki Jyr - Free Book Online
Authors: Aer-ki Jyr
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had far more
troops and ships insystem than they’d deployed here.
6
July 19, 2534
Corvio System
Admat
Morgan picked up Paul’s mental signature a couple of
hallways away before she crossed paths with him, her coming back into the
command center and him coming out.
“We going back?” she asked, with the two of them
stopping for a chat in the middle of the pedestrian traffic flow.
“As soon as you can pack. We
have to take care of this now. We can’t wait on the others.”
“I agree. Just the three of us?”
“No one else can keep up.”
“Unfortunately,” Morgan echoed. “Grab plenty of senzu
beans and I’ll meet you in the hangar in an hour?”
“Deal,” Paul said with the pair splitting and going
their separate ways. He had to find Kara as well as do a little more homework.
He’d already spent a few minutes running through their files on the Scionate,
but he needed backup options and hadn’t gotten enough info for that so he
eventually stopped by his quarters and downloaded what he needed on a datapad
and brought it with him later when he went back to the hangar, this time
allowing Morgan to drive while he read up.
“ It seems we’ve
greatly underestimated the Humans’ power ,” Tem’lan mewed angrily in the
audience chamber from his reclining pedestal as he and the other Chieftans
watched the battle reports coming in via holo, with each using their own
interface and screens to monitor the data streams they wanted with a single
large map of the engagement zone displayed in the center where visitors
normally stood. It was replaying various points of the failed assault as the
Scionate leadership tried to comprehend what had gone wrong.
“ You are
repeating yourself ,” Pra’nom said dismissively as he studied a personal
display.
“ I am
reiterating the obvious. We cannot and should not launch another attack until
we know the true strength of the Humans, no matter how wounded our pride is .”
“ I concur ,” Yen’sor said from Pra’nom’s left.
“ We lost so many in this attack and their
Sentinel still stands. If we escalate this, even if we win we may suffer
horrible losses .”
“ And risk
starting a full scale war with Star Force ,” Jasnet added. “ It’s not just the Humans, the
Calavari are allied with them now. Our attempt at teaching them a lesson has failed, let us not make more of a mess of this .”
“ What course of
action would you suggest? ” Ura’bor asked halfheartedly.
“ I do not know
the temperament of the Humans well enough to answer that .”
“ Fairly stated ,”
Ura’bor conceded. “ They have hidden many
secrets from us, but this supersoldier of theirs concerns me the most ,” he
said, shifting his personal display to the main holo, showing crude images
captured from afar of Kara fighting on the ground and attacking the transports
in the air, plus a few images from when she was inside one laying waste to the
troops waiting within.
“ Note that ,”
Tem’lan interrupted before Ura’bor could continue, “ this one stunned the troops initially, much like they did when they
came here. It was we who escalated this to killing. We made a grave mistake in
misreading their intentions. Their hesitancy was not weakness. I believe they
were trying to teach us a lesson that we failed to grasp. ”
“ Which was? ”
Car’sem asked.
“ They were
warning us, and delivered the message personally so we would feel the effects
and remember. We struck back like an arrogant child, not knowing who it was we
were dealing with .”
Ura’bor growled. “ I
would dispute that if I could .”
“ I still dispute
it ,” Pra’nom said, unrelenting. “ The
Humans are stronger than we thought, but their world is still ours for the
taking if we act before they can draw reinforcements from other systems. We
have far more troops here than they do, we simply need to send them and end
this before it can escalate further. Honor demands that
troops and ships insystem than they’d deployed here.
6
July 19, 2534
Corvio System
Admat
Morgan picked up Paul’s mental signature a couple of
hallways away before she crossed paths with him, her coming back into the
command center and him coming out.
“We going back?” she asked, with the two of them
stopping for a chat in the middle of the pedestrian traffic flow.
“As soon as you can pack. We
have to take care of this now. We can’t wait on the others.”
“I agree. Just the three of us?”
“No one else can keep up.”
“Unfortunately,” Morgan echoed. “Grab plenty of senzu
beans and I’ll meet you in the hangar in an hour?”
“Deal,” Paul said with the pair splitting and going
their separate ways. He had to find Kara as well as do a little more homework.
He’d already spent a few minutes running through their files on the Scionate,
but he needed backup options and hadn’t gotten enough info for that so he
eventually stopped by his quarters and downloaded what he needed on a datapad
and brought it with him later when he went back to the hangar, this time
allowing Morgan to drive while he read up.
“ It seems we’ve
greatly underestimated the Humans’ power ,” Tem’lan mewed angrily in the
audience chamber from his reclining pedestal as he and the other Chieftans
watched the battle reports coming in via holo, with each using their own
interface and screens to monitor the data streams they wanted with a single
large map of the engagement zone displayed in the center where visitors
normally stood. It was replaying various points of the failed assault as the
Scionate leadership tried to comprehend what had gone wrong.
“ You are
repeating yourself ,” Pra’nom said dismissively as he studied a personal
display.
“ I am
reiterating the obvious. We cannot and should not launch another attack until
we know the true strength of the Humans, no matter how wounded our pride is .”
“ I concur ,” Yen’sor said from Pra’nom’s left.
“ We lost so many in this attack and their
Sentinel still stands. If we escalate this, even if we win we may suffer
horrible losses .”
“ And risk
starting a full scale war with Star Force ,” Jasnet added. “ It’s not just the Humans, the
Calavari are allied with them now. Our attempt at teaching them a lesson has failed, let us not make more of a mess of this .”
“ What course of
action would you suggest? ” Ura’bor asked halfheartedly.
“ I do not know
the temperament of the Humans well enough to answer that .”
“ Fairly stated ,”
Ura’bor conceded. “ They have hidden many
secrets from us, but this supersoldier of theirs concerns me the most ,” he
said, shifting his personal display to the main holo, showing crude images
captured from afar of Kara fighting on the ground and attacking the transports
in the air, plus a few images from when she was inside one laying waste to the
troops waiting within.
“ Note that ,”
Tem’lan interrupted before Ura’bor could continue, “ this one stunned the troops initially, much like they did when they
came here. It was we who escalated this to killing. We made a grave mistake in
misreading their intentions. Their hesitancy was not weakness. I believe they
were trying to teach us a lesson that we failed to grasp. ”
“ Which was? ”
Car’sem asked.
“ They were
warning us, and delivered the message personally so we would feel the effects
and remember. We struck back like an arrogant child, not knowing who it was we
were dealing with .”
Ura’bor growled. “ I
would dispute that if I could .”
“ I still dispute
it ,” Pra’nom said, unrelenting. “ The
Humans are stronger than we thought, but their world is still ours for the
taking if we act before they can draw reinforcements from other systems. We
have far more troops here than they do, we simply need to send them and end
this before it can escalate further. Honor demands that
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