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Authors: Aer-ki Jyr
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we finish what we
started .”
“ No
matter the cost? ” Tem’lan countered.
“ It would be far
worse not to ,” Oru’ven said gravely. “ We will lose the respect and fear of the
other races if we walk away from this now. ”
“ We will lose
millions of soldiers if we press this ,” Tem’lan growled. “ And I am not confident that we can even take
their world. I believe we have been outplayed, and any further hasty action
will only make the situation worse than it is now. ”
“ We cannot back
down ,” Ura’bor hissed as if Tem’lan was talking treason.
“ We need a
victory ,” Tem’lan explained. “ If we
are unable to achieve one it would be best not to waste resources. What if they
invade here after we bleed our defense fleet dry to take their world? ”
“ Tem’lan makes a
good point ,” Car’sem agreed. “ They
only struck us here to send a message. Now we have split their blood, though
very little of it. If they react to that as we would, we may see a Human warfleet
overhead in the coming days. I would not waste our defenses trying to destroy
their Sentinel, which we will if it can move to intercept our ground troops. If
it can hold the Cajdital at bay, we will be blooded taking it down. ”
“ Then we should
recall more of our fleet to this system, regardless of what transpires ,”
Pra’nom suggested.
Several others nodded, seeing the wisdom in that.
“ Agreed ,”
Ura’bor finalized. “ Send courier ships
while we study our new enemy in more detail. Our decision on what we do will
wait until our blood is less hot with the sting of defeat. If we are to defeat
this enemy, we must not underestimate them again .”
“ Wise words ,”
Tem’lan agreed. “ But there’s a
possibility that we might not be able to defeat them at all. ”
“ We can ,” the
elder Scionate said confidently. “ It’s
simply a matter of discovering how best to do it. ”
“A lot of movement,” Kara commented as they quietly
reentered high orbit of Vaadsip, seeing warships moving about with a lot coming
into the planet from the other Scionate worlds in the system.
“They’re not used to losing,” Morgan commented from
the pilot’s seat. “I think we spooked them. Paul, you have a location for us
yet?”
“Somewhere on the large southern
continent.”
“There are no continents,” she said, referencing the
obvious fact that there were no oceans to outline any.
“Look at the city distribution. They’re clumped into
what look like continents.”
“Well that’s something then,” Morgan said, glancing up
at Kara who was once again seated above them. “Is that enough for you to give
me an approach vector?”
“Give me a minute, then I
should have something.”
“Crowded?” Paul asked.
“Very,” Kara emphasized, “but there are always holes.
It’s just a matter of finding them.”
Paul nodded, understanding her challenge as he turned
his attention back to the datapad in his hand. They weren’t returning straight
to the ruling den. Had they been out for blood that would have been the obvious
place to go and just kill all the leaders, but that wasn’t the mission here and
pissing off every single Scionate in the ADZ was a really bad idea. They needed
another option, which Paul was currently searching for.
It took him another half hour but he was finally able
to give Morgan and Kara a destination city situated a third of the distance around
the planet from the capitol and only half as large. It took them a few hours to
get through the traffic and down to it, once again coming down over the
grasslands and creeping up on the perimeter detection sensors, limited as they
were. Kara was able to sneak them inside rather easily, with them finding
another parking space in the cluttered roofline…but even by then Paul wasn’t
finished with his research.
“What’s the holdup?” Morgan asked after they’d set
down.
“I’ve narrowed it down to two bloodlines, both of
which
started .”
“ No
matter the cost? ” Tem’lan countered.
“ It would be far
worse not to ,” Oru’ven said gravely. “ We will lose the respect and fear of the
other races if we walk away from this now. ”
“ We will lose
millions of soldiers if we press this ,” Tem’lan growled. “ And I am not confident that we can even take
their world. I believe we have been outplayed, and any further hasty action
will only make the situation worse than it is now. ”
“ We cannot back
down ,” Ura’bor hissed as if Tem’lan was talking treason.
“ We need a
victory ,” Tem’lan explained. “ If we
are unable to achieve one it would be best not to waste resources. What if they
invade here after we bleed our defense fleet dry to take their world? ”
“ Tem’lan makes a
good point ,” Car’sem agreed. “ They
only struck us here to send a message. Now we have split their blood, though
very little of it. If they react to that as we would, we may see a Human warfleet
overhead in the coming days. I would not waste our defenses trying to destroy
their Sentinel, which we will if it can move to intercept our ground troops. If
it can hold the Cajdital at bay, we will be blooded taking it down. ”
“ Then we should
recall more of our fleet to this system, regardless of what transpires ,”
Pra’nom suggested.
Several others nodded, seeing the wisdom in that.
“ Agreed ,”
Ura’bor finalized. “ Send courier ships
while we study our new enemy in more detail. Our decision on what we do will
wait until our blood is less hot with the sting of defeat. If we are to defeat
this enemy, we must not underestimate them again .”
“ Wise words ,”
Tem’lan agreed. “ But there’s a
possibility that we might not be able to defeat them at all. ”
“ We can ,” the
elder Scionate said confidently. “ It’s
simply a matter of discovering how best to do it. ”
“A lot of movement,” Kara commented as they quietly
reentered high orbit of Vaadsip, seeing warships moving about with a lot coming
into the planet from the other Scionate worlds in the system.
“They’re not used to losing,” Morgan commented from
the pilot’s seat. “I think we spooked them. Paul, you have a location for us
yet?”
“Somewhere on the large southern
continent.”
“There are no continents,” she said, referencing the
obvious fact that there were no oceans to outline any.
“Look at the city distribution. They’re clumped into
what look like continents.”
“Well that’s something then,” Morgan said, glancing up
at Kara who was once again seated above them. “Is that enough for you to give
me an approach vector?”
“Give me a minute, then I
should have something.”
“Crowded?” Paul asked.
“Very,” Kara emphasized, “but there are always holes.
It’s just a matter of finding them.”
Paul nodded, understanding her challenge as he turned
his attention back to the datapad in his hand. They weren’t returning straight
to the ruling den. Had they been out for blood that would have been the obvious
place to go and just kill all the leaders, but that wasn’t the mission here and
pissing off every single Scionate in the ADZ was a really bad idea. They needed
another option, which Paul was currently searching for.
It took him another half hour but he was finally able
to give Morgan and Kara a destination city situated a third of the distance around
the planet from the capitol and only half as large. It took them a few hours to
get through the traffic and down to it, once again coming down over the
grasslands and creeping up on the perimeter detection sensors, limited as they
were. Kara was able to sneak them inside rather easily, with them finding
another parking space in the cluttered roofline…but even by then Paul wasn’t
finished with his research.
“What’s the holdup?” Morgan asked after they’d set
down.
“I’ve narrowed it down to two bloodlines, both of
which
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