by Ivan Kal
Landing on a Sowir-controlled planet was risky as well, as there were rarely any actual Sowir on the ground; they would rather stay on their ships and control their tools from a distance. The only worlds where there were actually Sowir on the ground was their homeworld—which was covered completely by water—and on Guxaxac, which they were having difficulties pacifying. There was no hope that Adrian could land there and reach their leaders without being seen, especially when the Sowir tools could see right through Empire’s stealth tech, which relied on visual stealth, and their tool-soldiers had no eyes. He would be killed long before he could enter the telepathic range of any Sowir that would actually allow him to speak with them. Not without sacrificing a lot of people.
The more he tried to find a way, the more frustrated he got, to the point that he’d started to question whether he even should. He managed to spend another half an hour looking at the endless data before he lost his temper and cleared all the holograms with a swipe of his hand. He turned around and exited the room.
The shape of Iris appeared in front of him and floated backwards as he walked through the room. He grabbed an overcoat from a chair nearby. Sora and Akash raised their heads from where they were sleeping, but then lowered them, uninterested.
“Adrian, where are you going?” Iris asked.
Adrian put the coat on over his suit and walked out of his home. He looked at the darkening sky and realized that it was close to nighttime. He turned left and started walking. “I’m going to see Seo-yun,” he said.
“Alright…May I ask why?” Iris tilted her head as she asked.
“I need to talk to her,” Adrian answered.
“Right…Want me to call and let her know you are coming?”
Adrian turned and walked onto an overpass. “Sure,” he said as he walked into a park that had been built on the overpass. Sound-canceling fields surrounded it and blocked out the noise of grav-cars that passed below. He walked by kids playing, with the progeny center caretakers or their parents watching over them. Many of the adults noticed and recognized him, but they obviously sensed that he wasn’t in the mood, so they stayed away. Now he was focused on only one thing.
It took him half an hour to walk to Seo-yun’s research center. Olympus City was a small city, with only around six million people living there, and most of it stretched underground. They had made a point of not disturbing Sanctuary’s nature more than they needed to.
Adrian stepped inside the research center and made his way towards Seo-yun’s office. The clerk at the doors tried to stop him, but he pushed through. Seo-yun was already standing when he entered; she raised her hand towards the clerk following him and waved him off.
Adrian started pacing across the room. Seo-yun watched him for a minute before she spoke.
“What is it, Adrian?” she asked.
He stopped pacing and turned to look at her. “I won’t tell the Sowir about my telepathy,” he said.
He saw her face drop. “You can’t find a way to reach them?” she asked.
Adrian shook his head and started pacing again. “No, I mean I won’t. I haven’t found a way yet, but I am sure that eventually I could. It would probably involve a lot of risk to our people, but I could do it. No, I won’t do it.”
“Why? We can save innocent lives,” she said desperately.
Adrian turned on her and pointed directly at her. “That is why,” he said firmly. “You say innocent lives, but is that really true?” he asked her.
She looked at him, confused. “Of course it is true!”
“Really, Seo-yun? Think about that. You have studied the Sowir for a long time. Think!”
“I don’t understand what you mean.”
Adrian sighed in frustration. “The Sowir have a small population. They have longevity. They are a lot more united than any race we have ever encountered; all of them have a voice in their governing system, because they think alike. They are not a hive mind, but they have much less individuality than we do,” he said pointedly. When she still looked confused, he continued. “Most of the Sowir alive now were also alive when they met the Consortium. It was them who decided to attack and slaughter billions. It was them who committed genocide. So tell me, Seo-yun, why should I put my life, and the lives of my people, at risk to reason with them? They are not innocent, Seo-yun, none of them are.”
Seo-yun struggled; he could see it in her face. She was a good person—it was what Adrian liked about her—but in this he knew that she was wrong.
“Seo-yun.” He stepped closer and took her hand in his. “I understand that you struggle with us deciding the fates of other races. I know that you were uncomfortable with the actions we took against the Furvor. But the truth is that we have the power, which is the only right that the universe respects. And the Sowir had abused their power. They are delusional; they are no better than fanatics from Earth. They are guilty, and I will not risk our people in order to save theirs. We have already lost enough people to them. Or did you forget what happened to the Voyager? They killed our people with no cause. How many do you think they’ve killed in their pointless quest?”
Seo-yun took a deep breath; he could see her coming to terms with his words.
“After we have destroyed all of their military, and after we have taken control of their homeworld, I will show them how wrong they were. But they need to suffer punishment for their actions,” Adrian added.
“I know,” Seo-yun said softly.
***
A few hours later, Seo-yun walked into her and Tomas’s chambers at the palace. Tomas was in their bed, reading. When she entered, he raised his head with a smile that turned into a frown when he saw her face.
“Seo-yun, what is wrong?” he asked, standing and crossing the distance between them.
“Adrian came to see me,” she started. “He doesn’t want to tell the Sowir about his connection to the Spirit. He doesn’t think that he can do it without risking our people, and he doesn’t want to do that.”
“Oh…” Tomas said slowly.
“I can understand that. And I know that he is right; no Sowir is innocent. But still, it somehow feels wrong,” she said. “I know that I have said that I will not bring this up again, but I can’t help it.”
Tomas hugged her tightly. “That is why I love you. Because you care. But I have told you before, I will do everything in my power to protect my people and those who need protection. The Sowir are a threat, and Adrian is right, they are not innocent. They need to be punished. We will not wipe them out; they will live, and perhaps in time they might even prove themselves enough to start making amends for what they have done. But I doubt that they will ever be able to level the scales.”
“Yes…” Seo-yun sighed against him. “I just worry that we will someday turn into them, that we will start deciding that some races simply don’t deserve to live,” she said.
“That is why I created the Hand of the Empire, why I will make use of Adrian’s Sentinels if our plans for the future prove fruitful.” Tomas paused. Then he lowered his voice and continued. “There might be a time when we will be forced to do exactly that. And if that time comes, I pray to all that I hold dear that I don’t make the wrong choice.”
Chapter Five
Thanatos; Fleet Headquarters
Bethany hurried down the corridors of the large complex on Thanatos, one of Sanctuary’s moons. The entire moon was property of the Fleet, and it was covered in artificial environments, warehouses, and research centers. A great number of Fleet personnel actually lived here; there was a dedicated apartment complex that currently housed around a million people, all part of the Empire’s Fleet. Beth would need to find an apartment there too, seeing as the home she’d shared with Harry was no longer hers. She didn’t feel sad about it; she hadn’t stepped foot inside it for years, and Harry deserved to have it.
She had spoken with him a couple of days ago. The two had met at what used to be their home. They had spent almost the entire day talking, and at
the end they’d decided to get a divorce. They didn’t love each other anymore. The process of getting the actual divorce didn’t last more than a couple of minutes. Together they had called, and after a few questions and their consent, they were divorced. They didn’t have any joint possessions except the house, and Beth let him have it. And so, more than thirty years of marriage had ended in an afternoon.
But since then, Beth couldn’t help but feel elated, free. She had dreaded that moment for so long, and when it had finally come, it had been anticlimactic. They’d spoken as two old friends, both understanding that there was no point in keeping up with the charade. They had no kids together; there was no need to try and fix something that had probably never worked in the first place.
Now, after she was done with her personal stuff, she could focus completely on Fleet. After reporting to the headquarters, she had been given a few days’ leave. The ships she’d brought with her had been sent to the shipyards orbiting Thanatos for quick upgrades before the offensive. And now with her leave over, she had to report to a meeting with the Fleet’s leaders.
She reached the meeting room and entered. The first person she saw when she stepped inside was Fleets Master Laura Reiss, who sat at the head of the holo table, her black hair pulled back in a tight bun. Next to her on her left was Oswald Mein, Commander of Fleets, who was Laura’s second-in-command. Across from him sat Fleet Commander Nair Hakeem of the Third Fleet. He and Beth were good friends, one of the few she actually had. They’d been the two commanders in charge of the invasion on the Sowir territories, and they had talked almost daily over the past three years. She nodded at him with a smile, which he returned. She then turned to look at the last person in the room, who was standing on the right side of the room, and froze.
Adrian smiled uncomfortably at her as she continued not to move. The Fleets Master saved her by speaking.
“Take a seat, Fleet Commander Jones,” she said, gesturing for her to take a seat by Nair’s side.
Beth saluted and took a seat. She watched as Adrian walked and sat down next to Oswald across from her.
“Well, now that we are all here, let’s start with the briefing,” Laura said. Then she reached to her overcoat and brought out a small data chip. She placed it on the table and the holo table turned on. Images of three Sowir systems started spinning above the table.
“These are our first three targets. The most important one is this one.” She pointed, and the holo changed to show only one system. “The Guxaxac system. This is where we will hit them the hardest. The Army is ready to take the fight to the ground; our job is to make sure that all Sowir forces in orbit are dealt with. To that extent, we will be sending most of our forces there.” She turned to look at Bethany. “Fleet Commander Jones, we will be sending you and the Second Fleet. In addition to your current ships, we will add another one hundred Kraken-class and eighty Furious-class missile ships.”
“Thank you, Fleets Master, I won’t disappoint you,” Beth said.
Laura nodded. “The forces in the Guxaxac system are not as large as in other systems, but we can’t risk them doing something rash once they realize that they will lose the system. We don’t want another situation similar to Earth,” she said grimly, then added, “The forces on the ground are much more formidable than in space, but that is for the Army to deal with. Their transports will also join your fleet.”
She again swiped her hand across the table, and the holo changed to show the second of the three systems. “This is Nuuar, a former capital of the Pouute. As you can see, the Sowir have a much greater presence here. Thirty-four defense platforms, five stations, and two shipyards. The planet is occupied by millions of Sowir agents, but according to the intel we got from the Sowir prisoners, there are only a dozen or so Sowir on the planet,” Laura said as she gave Adrian a strange look. “The Sowir are using their agents to adapt former Pouute cities to their liking before they move in themselves. Most of the Sowir are residing on the stations in the system. So you will ignore the planet.”
She turned to look at Nair. “Fleet Commander Hakeem, you and the Third Fleet will be assaulting this system. After evaluating the shipyards and stations we took from the Sowir in the last offensive, our people agree that there is little we would gain from taking more of them. Your mission is simple: destroy all their ships and stations, and bomb any other planet-based installations they have in-system from orbit.”
Nair nodded. “Of course, Fleets Master.”
Then she turned to Adrian. “Clan Leader, your target is this system.” The holo changed again to show the last Sowir system. “This is one of the original Sowir systems, as you can see this system has more defenses than any system we have previously attacked. There are two hundred military ships in system, in addition to their cargo ships. Our goal is only to hit military targets, but as the Sowir don’t really have a civilian population, if their non-military ships intervene, you may destroy them as well. Concentrate on destroying all of their facilities, defense platforms, and stations. If some ships want to run, let them,” Laura said.
She looked around the room before continuing. “Our plan is to isolate them in their home system, which is why the locations of these three systems are on different sides of their territory. We will basically herd them back to their home system, and crush their military there.”
Oswald then cleared his throat. “Clan Leader Farkas will command his Vanguard Fleet in addition to what we are now calling the Fourth Fleet, which consists of newly built Kraken-class ships and repaired ships that survived the battle at Nelus. Also, Clan Leader Farkas will act as Warmaster for this offensive. After you complete your primary objectives, he will guide the rest of the conflict. The Fleet will be here for advice, and we will keep watch over the Sowir systems with our surveillance drones and relay the information to your fleets. I will let him tell you about the expanded plan.”
Adrian stood and the holo changed, now showing Sowir territory with three points glowing red—the three systems they were planning on attacking.
“The rest of the offensive, following the opening, can go in many different directions depending on the Sowir reaction, so I will not bother you with plans that might not even be used. Our primary goal will always be the same: Isolate the Sowir in their home system. All our actions will be for that goal. The Sowir don’t follow any kind of doctrine that we can imagine. Their ships are operated by only a few of their people, with them using their telepathy to control their tools like additional limbs. But with their small numbers, that means that they never allow themselves to be without those tools, which makes capture extremely hard. We were lucky to have gotten any prisoners; we caught them off guard. That will not happen again. They will keep thousands of their tools between themselves and us. So don’t even try to take prisoners. No boarding disabled ships; destroy them and move on. We will not be taking these systems from the Sowir, we are wiping them clean,” Adrian said, looking both Nair and Beth in the eyes. She remembered this Adrian, the emotionless commander. It was one of the things that had infuriated her back at the Academy.
“We will destroy their presence in every system surrounding their home system. The projections indicate that they will figure out what we are planning and abandon their other systems after we pass through six of their remaining eleven systems. I agree with these projections. The Sowir prisoners have made it very clear that the Sowir ships will fight to the death; they will not ask for mercy, nor will they surrender. They are now aware that we know that they don’t keep their word to those they don’t consider true beings, and that we will not keep our word to them. They would rather all fight to the end, hoping to hurt us in the process. And we will deny them that.”
“Is there really no way to get them to surrender?” Nair asked, voicing Bethany’s thoughts as well.
Adrian shook his head sadly. “Perhaps there is a way, but it would require putting our people at great risk. The reason why they are not going to accept any kind of agreement now is
simple. They know that we have Nel as part of our Empire. They understand that we will never allow them to live peacefully at our borders, so they see no point in talking. It is very logical to their minds.”
Nair nodded his thanks for the answer.
Adrian looked around. “Any other questions?” he asked. When no one said anything, he cleared the holo. “Alright, Fleet Commanders Jones and Hakeem, you are free to inspect your ships. If you want any changes or additions, you have until the end of the week to request them.” He nodded a dismissal.
People got up and started leaving. Only Bethany and Adrian stayed by some unspoken agreement. When the last person exited and left them alone, the silence somehow deepened and grew heavier. Adrian stood up and leaned on a chair.
“So, how have you been?” he asked. His cold, commanding demeanor was gone now. He looked uncomfortable, unsure.
“Good. You? I heard that you had a tough few years…” Beth said, equally awkward.
“I’m good, and yes, it has been an interesting couple of years,” Adrian said. After another uncomfortable silence, he spoke again. “How’s Harry?” he asked.
Beth shifted uncomfortably. “He is good...We are divorced,” she added quickly. Perhaps too quickly.
Adrian’s eyes widened a bit at that. “Really? I hadn’t heard.”
“Well, well the fact that it happened a few days ago is probably why. Not many people know,” she said with a crooked smile. That managed to make Adrian’s lip curl into a small smile. Then, before she chickened out, she stood. “Adrian, I know that we haven’t really spoken in a long time. That even though we’ve put the past behind, we still haven’t made any steps to actually talk again.”
“I know, Beth,” Adrian said sadly. “It wasn’t that I didn’t forgive you, or that I didn’t want to. It’s just that there were other more important things in my life. I would love to be your friend again, Beth, but you need to know that it won’t ever be more than that. You hurt me, but it isn’t really about that. I have changed. I am not the same person I was then. If you want to be friends again, I can do that. But if you want something more…Then it is better if we pretend we are only colleagues.” For a moment, she thought that she saw something in his face, but it was hidden too quickly for her to recognize it.
