The Cadaver Crasher sat parallel with Admiral Smits’ Brotherhood cruiser connected via an umbilical tube. Morwen had insisted they meet face-to-face to rule out potential espionage and prying eyes. The next phase of the plan was too crucial. She wouldn’t allow the dragons to compromise it. She’d devoted a room, especially to that task. Embedding it with anti-scrying spells, and wards that would obstruct any attempts to see or hear inside with magic. They also swept it for electronic devices and signals per her request of the Admiral just to be safe.
“Well, here we are, where ever here is,” the Admiral said, breaking the silence. “Why are we here?”
“To plan our next moves, Admiral.”
“I understand the precaution. I’m just not sure it’s necessary.”
Morwen held her tongue and only offered a clipped nod. “I have worries. But nothing actionable yet. Still, we’re close to turning this in our favor, so I’d rather not move over confidently if I can avoid it.”
The admiral digested that for a moment, stroking his dark beard that would make even a dwarf jealous before giving her an approving look. “Alright. So, what’s next then?”
Morwen cast a simple illusion spell, and a sphere appeared of the planet, projected by the small terminal in the center of the room. “We hold the region's air space. Which means we cut the forces on the ground off from reinforcements.”
“Which is a great thing tactically,” the admiral added. “So why the concerned look?”
Morwen frowned. “I’ve been puzzling over this incursion against recent attacks in memory. Kofex, Tohruun, and even Hoshun were all assaulted and any traces of resistance were annihilated. All the bodies were soul bound and extracted for the next campaign. In terms of attrition, it was impressive if wicked combat strategy that’s paid off for them. The more we throw at them, the more we give them to work with.”
“I’m sensing a ‘but’ in there.”
She nodded with a half smile. “But so far, we’ve received no reports of activity from the populace on Hidros. They have restricted conflict to orbit with us.”
The Admiral’s bushy brows furrowed together as he sighed, realization dawning. “It’s been a game of keep away.”
“Which makes this phase that much more dangerous. We have to stop them, but with no sign of what they’re up to, it means we must move with extra caution or risk them devastating us.”
“But if we move too slowly, we risk giving them the time they need to complete whatever it is they’re up to.”
Morwen nodded. “Precisely.”
“I trust you’ve got a plan with all this in mind, regardless?”
“I do. If it is a trap? Which, knowing Ominek, it is? Then we’ll spring it.”
The admiral gave her a confused look. “Why do you say that?”
Morwen pulled up the Administrator’s portrait, and the Admiral shifted uncomfortably. “Because the Administrator requested aid immediately, as though an invasion on the scale of Kofex or Hoshun were underway, and yet from the local populations they are vastly unaware of what’s happened in orbit save for the inconvenience of being planet locked for the time being.”
If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
“Well, they pushed us off the station rather suddenly.”
“True. And they also had extra time because of our arrival delay. So why have we not seen the surface under siege yet? Because Ominek is staging forces in a staggered defensive pattern. I’ll bet several gold dragon scales that, as soon as we land, they’ll hit us, but only be enough to keep us bogged down. I don’t know how, but I suspect the Administrator might play some role in that to come.”
The admiral shifted, uncomfortable with the tonal shift in conversation. “Are you saying he’s a traitor?”
“Not definitively, no. I’m erring on the side of caution.”
The admiral gave her a curt nod and leaned back in his chair; the leather creaking under his broad-shouldered bulk. The olive-drab dress uniform he wore struggled to contain him. Morwen wasn’t sure if it was because of a fabric shortage, or if they just didn’t know how to tailor a jacket to fit the man.
“Since we’re discussing the Administrator, I feel inclined to caution you he’s requested your dismissal again. The Federation doesn’t sound happy with your delay here. They’re calling it a dereliction of duty and violating orders. I’m perfectly happy to shield you as best I can. I think your results speak for themselves, but the Administrator seems keen on tearing you down politically.”
Morwen sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose to stave off a headache that threatened to spread to her temples. Great, nothing like fighting multiple fronts at the same time. She’d have to put off the political front for now and focus purely on Hidros. That was the priority, or nothing else would matter. She nodded, giving the admiral an appreciative smile.
“Thank you for the warning.”
The Admiral nodded. “You’ve more than earned my respect, Captain. The Valkyrie of Tohruun’s got my vote to do whatever the hell she damn well pleases. You prosecuted your battle exactly how you said you would. So I’ll just pretend I didn’t get the Administrator’s warning because I’ve been too busy defending Hidros for him.”
She was certain she’d face political fallout for the delay and refusal to cede command to Rayshe. The prophecy given by the ArchPriest, called for her to command the battle, not the lieutenant. The door behind her hissed open with the Lt. in the doorway and he had a wild look in his eye.
Speak of the devil, she mused. “Lt. I’m in the middle of something. Can this not wait?”
“No,” he glowered. “Those insubordinate currs assaulted me and disobeyed direct orders. The punishment can be nothing other than death.”
Morwen’s brow furrowed. Of all the times. She pinched the bridge of her nose again as the headache she’d fought to keep at bay pushed from behind her eyes and bled into her temples. “So you want to hamstring our combat forces by killing off most of our junior enlisted mage forces on the eve of an important battle in which we’ll need every asset we can bring to bear?”
“Yes.”
“I promise you as the commanding officer I will deal with this issue in the fairest and just way possible, but surely you can’t expect me to summarily execute the bulk of my mage force before engaging the enemy in one of our largest fights yet.”
Rayshe’s jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed. “They struck a commanding officer during a time of war. That’s treason. They deserve no less than execution.”
Morwen’s back stiffened. The prophecy specifically called for her junior enlisted mages. If she appeased Rayshe and executed Akamori, Amara, and Sala, that would deprive her of the units needed to even hope to succeed. And that’s setting aside the debt she owed Sala, who’d effectively sworn his life in service of her own safety. Executing him would be the biggest dishonor she could do to him immediately before ending his life. Sala’s soul would be denied entry to his people’s afterlife. She just couldn’t bring herself to entertain the thought.
This command dumpster fire got more fuel dumped onto it when the doors parted open and Akamori, Amara, Sala, and Lt. Fennex stepped inside along with Sgt. Sirsir. It occurred to her that in conducting this secret command meeting, she probably should have magically secured the door to prevent so many interruptions. She filed the thought away as a mental note for review when they weren’t facing down Ominek’s mystery forces. She took a deep breath and steeled herself for what would inevitably come next. She was certain that regardless of what happened next; she would not enjoy dealing with the fallout later.