As Eirik opened his eyes, he knew where he was before he looked around. It had been many years since his last vision of Valhalla, but there was no mistaking that enormous tree reaching into the heavens. He rose to a sitting position with the sound of an axe chopping wood filling his ears. A massive man was busy making firewood nearby, his small pot belly speaking of a love of mead, while the bulging arms and ease with which he handled the axe, told the story of a warrior in his late prime. As he turned around to face Eirik, the bushy red beard that filled his face was broken by a big smile. "You finally awake once more, Eirik the Warrior! Or is it Eirik the Warlord? I have been waiting for this moment!" The man's voice was thunderous and booming, the humor shining through as he swung the axe effortlessly against the wood.

"Five. years." Eirik said slowly as he stood up.

"What's that? Speak up, man!" Tor demanded with a hearty laugh.

"Five! Years! Five years I offered prayers and sacrifice, Five years I lived my life as a proper man, taking time to spend with my family despite the demands of my empire. FIVE YEARS spent, living the life of a proper Northman, with fidelity and self-reliance, running my empire as a Northman would, with industriousness and discipline, greeting my guests with hospitality and honor, and dealing with my enemies with perseverance and courage. I have treasured my wife and worshipped my children. And for all of that time, you have been silent!" Eirik's voice was shaking with suppressed anger, his eyes shot lightning at the giant man in front of him, who in turn seemed more amused than anything.

"There's that fire in your belly! But that was only 8," Tor responded as he put down the axe and walked over to a massive bucket with water, and drank heavily from a cup that was nestled on the ground next to it

"Have I not willingly gone to fight with the common soldier to defend what I claim to be mine? You cannot fault me for lack of courage, son of Odin. And don't you change the topic you lumbering brute, why have all of you gods been silent during these last 5 years?" Eirik demanded, his voice threatening to crack from anger as he spat the words out.

"You need to work on your insults. Honestly, every generation since the battle Hastings has become worse at swearing and insulting in a poetic manner. Tragedy really..." Tor mused for a moment, taking his time to push Eirik's buttons, "But you answered your question yourself, Eirik. You have lived as an exemplary man should, and a proper ruler of your people. So why would we have any need to speak to you? You were well on your way to an afterlife here!"

Eirik opened his mouth to answer, but nothing came out and after a few long moments, Tor spoke again, "What you SHOULD be asking, is why we speak to you now, and more importantly, why is it ME talking to you?"

Another long moment passed before Eirik spoke up, this time sounding deflated and calm, "Is what is approaching me that bad?"

"Worse, according to both Mimer and the Norns." Tor confirmed, "Which is why you also need to talk to him." With a nod, Tor gestured behind Eirik. Turning around, Eirik saw a man missing 1 hand walking toward them. His features were sharp and his build was that of a mature man, A shield was strapped to his back and the long sword on his hip was worn and used but well-maintained.

"Greetings Eirik. It is good to see that age has tempered that anger of yours a bit. It is not befitting for a commander to lose his head like that." Tyr said. Easily recognized by the missing hand, lost when the gods chained the great wolf, Fenris, there was no need for an introduction.

"The greatest warrior and the greatest commander of the gods stand before me, in the sleeping moments before I am to lead the defense against the most successful warrior species known to the galaxy, so far." Eirik mused as he stared at the two men in front of him, and as they watched him in return, something changed within Eirik. For a brief instant, he saw the near future of his empire and his life. One embroiled in years of grueling, grinding war. He saw the other empires doing nothing to help. He saw Terra turn its back on him, ready to pick over the remains, should he lose.

"So be it. I will weather this storm, as I have in the past. To Hel with the cost!" Eirik was staring into the far beyond as he spoke and he found a well of determination, hidden deep beneath the worries and troubles currently occupying his life. It was all irrelevant in the bigger picture. There was more at stake than how he would like to live. He had taken on the role of a ruler of people, and he had to be willing to sacrifice everything to ensure that he ruled well. Taking responsibility for the welfare of the people was exactly that. Taking responsibility. And by all the gods he would bear it well.

"That's it! That's the man we have been waiting to meet!" Tyr said with open excitement. "And here I thought you would be a whelp forever!"

Eirik was ripped out of his thoughts and shot Tyr a glance. "The thing about being a whelp is that you grow out of it, Jotunn-born." He said with a small smile and Tor started laughing uproariously as Tyr's face contorted like someone had showed a rotten apple inside of his nose.

"Good start, for a mortal." Tyr retorted. He walked over to the stump where Tor had been chopping wood and sat down. "So, are you going to draw up a battle plan for us to look at?"

"Battle plan?" Eirik was confused by the question. How could he draw up a representation of a war stretching across multiple star systems, with an impending battle set to take place over 3 planets in close proximity?

"Yes, a battle plan!" Tor agreed eagerly. "How many are you facing? How many trained warriors and how many workers and militia members?"

"I... How can I explain this." Eirik began slowly. "I am facing millions of enemies, spread across several star systems in the galaxy. The coming battle is Spread over not just 1 world, but 3 entire worlds! The initial contact will take place in an area covering a small nation, and that is just the initial skirmish! I am engaged in a war on such a massive scale, that a thousand dead soldiers every day are considered better than the most optimistic of estimates. If I can conserve just half of my current army after the initial invasion attempt, I shall consider it a heroic victory!" Eirik threw his hands in the air and let them fall with a heavy sigh. "No matter what I do, I will stand in the ruins of an empire, forsaken by my so-called allies in the time of need. So I shall embrace it!

I will purge my enemies from my empire, invade and take their lands, and then return in triumph to demand apologies from my allies. And at the end of it all, I shall mend the broken bonds and force good standing between our nations, for the wealth and prosperity of all within! They want to see me fail? I shall prove them wrong in the greatest of ways. By flourishing despite them!" Eirik was working himself up. He might have crossed 40 years of age, an impressive age when you considered his chosen occupation. Warriors rarely reached old age. And as the tooth of time had chipped away at him, patience had slowly replaced youthful hurry and haste, and second thought had become the rule rather than the exception before acting. But he was getting angry again, angry in the way men rarely got. Indignant rage.

"Do not let the falling axe blind you to the blade snaking its way under your shield!" Tyr reprimanded before Eirik could launch into another tirade. "You have more than one enemy to fight!"

"I know," Eirik noted, "And right now my empire is locked down tighter than the bedchambers of Folkvang* All flanks are secured and my people are ready. They know of the coming storm."

"I hope you are ready, Eirik. If not, we will meet again soon!" Tor said and patted Eirik on the back. Well, to Tor, it was a simple pat. Eirik still stumbled forward at the force of the impact. "Have fun!" That was the last thing he heard before the woods shifted to black and he heard a familiar voice calling.

________________________________

"Eirik, wake up!" Jeanette was gently shaking Eirik's shoulder as she tried to wake him up. "It is time to get ready, The enemy will arrive within the hour!"

Eirik slowly opened his eyes and shook his head. As much as he had yearned to speak with the gods again, he had NOT missed the after-effects of these visions. it felt like a hangover that was followed by a generous sledgehammer bludgeoning. "What's that?" He mumbled as the world started swimming into focus.

"The Plyxii will arrive within the hour. It's time." Jeanette repeated and Eirik rose from the bed. Walking over to the nearby bathroom, he did his best to drain the faucet of water, succeeding only in satiating his thirst. "I need you in the command bunker, Jeanette. You need to handle the flow of information for me. Fleet and troop movements take priority over everything else." He said as he put on the familiar combat kevlar suit and fixed his hair in a ponytail.

Jeanette stared at him for a few seconds. "Are you okay, Eirik?" She asked hesitantly.

"I'm just fine, Jeanette." Eirik's reply was not malicious in any way, but she could hear a difference from before he slept. Something had changed. But what?

______________________________

Gnar was pacing around the bridge of his new flagship. For being useless, the old Plyxii he had killed in the council chambers had a considerable amount of wealth and power to back his name, all of which now belonged to Gnar, giving him the push he needed to make this invasion a reality. As soon as the first ships had gathered, word had started spreading, and now their numbers had swelled to almost 3 times the initial. 542 ships under his command were almost at their destination. The outer systems of Libertalia.

He was getting impatient. They had run into the Plyxii ambassador and his retinue on the way, and after battering his way through the wounded pride of the ambassador, they had learned that they would not have the element of surprise. At least the incompetent fool had managed to secure a lot of intelligence in a hidden data device around his neck and everything pointed to a fledgling empire that, like so many others, had neglected to shore up its defenses in favor of economic growth. While they boasted an impressive amount of soldiers for the small size of the population, they only had spread-out defensive works and positions. Of course, there was a good chance that their spies had not gathered much, or accurate, information. Libertalia was locked down tight at the best of times and moving around inside of the empire was strictly controlled and watched, if you were not a trusted citizen.

He kept pacing, his nervous energy seeping into the crew on the bridge and everyone was on edge over the coming invasion. He was eager to see the kind of fight this Eirik would put up. Him and his small group, which Gnar later learned was comprised mostly of his direct blood brothers, had done something that was thought impossible. They had killed the entire Plyxii council AND gotten away. Sure, they had captured his brothers, but he had freed them eventually. Now they resided on Terra, well out of reach of the Plyxii. Efforts had of course been made to attempt to get to them, but their time in prison had made them paranoid and slightly xenophobic, even toward members of their own species. Getting to them without open war with Terra was impossible, even bounty hunters and assassins would not work. There WOULD be casualties and/or prisoners, which would spill all their dirty little secrets.

"Fleet status!" He demanded, the power to have his word accepted as law intoxicating him more than any rush of battle.

"Weapons primed, shields up, troop carriers safely placed behind the capital ships. Flanks secure. Attack group ready to engage upon jumping into the system. Invasion fleet is ready!" Came the reply from the communications specialist and Gnar allowed himself a vicious smile. Whatever pitiful fleet they had assembled to stop them, the Plyxii would sweep over like a tidal wave of searing light and rending claws. They would swat them aside and take the new empire, one planet at a time, enslaving the populace and draining them of natural resources to fuel a new galactic war that would see the other races eradicated or subjugated, whichever they preferred!

The closer the fleet got, the more restless Gnar felt, and the anticipation of being the one to start the Plyxii rise to dominance would make the sound of his name ring through the coming ages. He would be immortalized!

___________________________________

"Report!" Eirik demanded. He had been directing the flow of troops and last-minute preparations for the incoming battle and he was desperate to get the confirmation that everything was in place.

"Fleet has been split up and moved in position around the 2 flanking planets. Ground-to-orbit cannons are armed and turned off, ready to activate. Troops have occupied their bunkers and defensive works. Enemy landing zones have been cleared and rigged with traps. Stockpiles of supplies and ammunition have been dug down in preparation for later withdrawals and use by sabotage units. Stockpiles in the abandoned defensive works have been poisoned, as have the water sources. Artillery is zeroed in on the landing zones, awaiting your orders. PESSA drop squads are ready to perform low-orbit insertion strikes. Supply lines have been set up from the heart of the empire. The civilian population has been safely evacuated and is on its way to being relocated. Reserve fleet doing patrol runs in the rest of the empire." Jeanette listed off the main tasks, all of which had been completed within the given time.

She was thankful for the intelligence network Eirik had managed to get up and running. "And... There is a private message from Freja." She pressed a few buttons on the datapad in her hands and Eirik's datapad pinged softly. The message simply read "Arrived safely at your grandfather's. Have resumed work duties in your absence. Take care"

It was nice to know she still cared, but he couldn't afford to let his mind drift. It was a matter of minutes before the first ship jumped into the system and the battle could begin in earnest. Most people would have their forces open fire the moment the Plyxii arrived. But that would not work. They expected it, wanted it. Instead, they would be allowed to jump into the system, they would be unopposed as they made their way to the planet in the middle that was suspiciously badly defended, and they would even be allowed to start landing their troops before a single life sign would be shown from the defenders.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

But it would be the best chance. Having their troop carriers move past their offensive ships and begin unloading troops before they were fired upon would ensure that he could direct all of his available firepower, which would have been enough to damage the fleet severely before they could even think of landing, on the troop carrier ships. It was a dirty, dirty move, but so was an unannounced declaration of war. Of course, they would immediately begin fighting back, but their own ships would be blocking the aim and it took time to stop the unloading process, once the ships had entered a stable orbit. The losses would be enormous, and the hit to morale would be crushing. Soldiers would start questioning the leadership that allowed such a catastrophe to occur and possible mutiny among the ship crew would be a suddenly added danger to the mix.

It was a wild gamble, but it was all he had. His only chance to even the odds enough for his empire to survive. It would still be a bloody fight, but at least they would have a fighting chance. A major victory this early would also be invaluable to his troops and empire, the press releases already being prepared.

"Ships entering the system!" A voice called out from the array of sensor arrays and scanners that was monitoring every possible inch of the system, and Eirik moved his eyes to the screen. Icons started popping up at an alarming rate and everyone around stopped their work to stare in fear and awe at the fleet arriving to attack them.

"So it begins." Sighed Eirik. "BACK TO WORK, WE GET AN EMPIRE TO DEFEND" He yelled, and everybody dove back into their work.

_________________

Gnar was disappointed. He had been on the flagship, the first ship to enter Libertalia and he had expected to jump into a well-prepared defense that would see him fighting tooth and claw to achieve his goals. Instead, he had been greeted by a silent system with 2 smaller fleets orbiting around 2 of the planets, leaving the third one as obvious bait for a trap. He had pondered taking the bait before the rest of the fleet arrived, just for just a moment, so history could record the beginning of his legacy with a great battle. But no, it was better to wait for the fleet, set up defensive positions, and start putting claws on the ground. Sure, the other council members were stuck in the old ways, preferring to scour the system from orbit and move in to clean up the remains, but that would ruin the part of the plan that involved using the pillaged wealth and technology to fuel the war.

He could easily overrule them, the soldiers of the army he had amassed followed his dream with almost religious fervor. If the old idiots gave him trouble, a word from him would see them dead within the day.

"Set up a defensive corridor and move the troop transports up to start unloading our troops. If they want to give us a bait planet, we will take it from them with a smile." He growled, his frustration at being denied a glorious beginning to his legend infuriating him more than he wanted to admit. At least scanners showed SOME defenses on the planet, so there would be battle ahead. But he was disappointed. He had been looking forward to seeing the abilities of this Terran. Holding off the Kloxna was no easy thing, the tenacious reptilians using much the same tactics as the Plyxii. Overwhelming numbers of ferocious infantry. Ranged combat, melee combat, it mattered not. And against Terrans that did not have natural weapons, but had to rely solely on tools, or try to bludgeon their enemies to death with their ineffective fists, melee combat was much preferred.

"Find us a proper landing zone. Preferably one that is not occupied!" Gnar snarled at his subordinates. He might wish for battle, but trying to land troops on top of entrenched defenders was not even suicidal, it was just sheer stupidity

"Area located. abandoned defensive works, with an adjacent spaceport in operational condition!" A Plyxii fleet officer called out as quickly as he could. He hoped to be noticed by Gnar, and his effort was rewarded.

"Excellent, send down a single shuttle with troopers to secure the area and then start landing my army!" Gnar ordered and nodded at the young officer, indicating he was in charge of this next step of the invasion.

______________________

Eirik endures the Plyxii entering his empire. He endured watching their fleet make their way, as casually as taking a stroll in the woods, toward the planet intended as bait. He watched the lonely shuttle depart from the enemy fleet and bolt it toward the single unoccupied spaceport left on the planet. He saw the Plyxii soldiers leave the shuttle, the hulking, badger-like aliens covered in heavy armor plating with ablative coating, wielding heavy laser rifles as they disgorged the shuttle and charged out at the empty base. He waited while they messaged back that the port had come under control. And at last, at long last, the tight Plyxii formation loosened up, creating a corridor for the troop transports to move in between, granting them all the protection they could ever want... From his ships.

What they unknowingly did was present the most delicious of target opportunities, but Eirik pushed the moment of attack. He wanted them to be fully committed to landing troops, in a stable orbit, turning off engines, and opening transport bays. They wouldn't be able to leave the atmosphere without closing them up again and depending on the state of things, that could take anywhere from 3 to 6 minutes, giving him time to pelt the most valuable ships of any invading army. Whatever troops they landed could be swiftly taken care of, or be left alone, it mattered not. All that mattered was to inflict such a massive blow upon the enemy that they became hesitant to make another move.

As the minutes dragged into the second hour, the moment finally came for the order to be given. "Activate it. Activate it all!" Eirik ordered and the room was instantly a flurry of movement and speech murmured into microphones. across the entire planet underground bunkers opened up as the massive ground-to-orbit cannons emerged while powering up, their autoloaders ready to start feeding the massive tungsten-capped shells into the cannons. The same thing was happening with the defenses on the 2 other planets in close proximity. The distance was too great for the targeting computers, but they could still be fired manually, and blind firing ship killer rounds into a tight enemy formation was a dream scenario come true

He could hear the excited confirmation of his orders in the voice of the designated gunners, This was the secret dream of every artillery gunner. Being given a carte blanche to fire at will and to their heart's content, without waiting for the targeting computer to unlock the firing mechanism. They had complete control.

At the same time, countless smaller automated weapon emplacements sprang to life in every single bunker complex and defensive fortification across all 3 planets, including the area the Plyxii had taken to land troops in and the confusion was total. As the turrets were revealed from their concealed positions, Eirik watched on the screens as the first salvos of gunfire killed a few dozen Plyxii on guard duty. And before their corpses had hit the ground, all the Plyxii troops had come under fire and were scrambling for cover. To Eirik's immense satisfaction. none of them sought shelter in the communications buildings. They would have to fight their way there to inform the fleet of the changed conditions. Either that or a shuttle would have to drop off troops and report the situation upon returning to the fleet.

But as much chaos as the turrets caused among the invaders, it was nothing when compared to the mayhem the orbital weapons were about to inflict on the fleet, and Eirik counted the seconds until the first rumble that signaled a ground-to-orbit cannon firing nearby. On the screens, Eirik watched the dozens of shells impacting against the weak shields of the transport ship. Their shields were made to stop random debris and the occasional micro-meteor, not hold up in a fight against anything larger than a small fighter craft. And now they were being pelted by cannons designed to take down invading capital ships.

The destruction was unfathomable. Before the smoke from the impact of the first volley had dissipated, the next one hit home and it kept up. By the second volley's impact, the Plyxii managed to rip themselves out of their confusion and start reacting. to the unexpected counterattack. Burning husks of ships tried to limp their way in front of those that still had a chance at escape and the main fleet started positioning itself to bombard the surface of the planet.

That's when the first shots from the 2 other planets reached the Plyxii fleet. They rained through the fleet formation, many of them missing on account of being aimed manually, but more of them impacted. Only a single shot managed to penetrate a shield and do some slight damage to the armor of the ship beneath. But the threat had revealed itself and the fleet was forced to reposition itself once more, keeping up a rotation pattern of ships that allowed their shield to recharge between soaking up the deadly payloads being thrown at them.

Within ten minutes, the invasion force was scrambling to put some distance between themselves and the planet, the remaining troop transports dropping their shields in favor of an engine boost, running for safety behind the larger ships, leaving a trail of destroyed ships and floating corpses behind them in the void. During the entire thing, Gnar had been sitting motionless and speechless in his captain's chair on the bridge of his flagship, watching his fleet being torn apart. He couldn't accept the reality that was being displayed in front of him. There had been no meaningful defenses. Nothing to indicate any kind of proper resistance. And yet, he was staring at disaster.

It took close to three hours to get an overview of the damage and losses. Almost forty percent of the soldiers were dead, close to 100 destroyed or disabled ships, the fleet was in disarray, and his communications officer was being swamped by incoming calls from captains demanding orders and an explanation.

He had none to give them. He ordered a tactical retreat to consolidate their forces and get the fleet back into formation, That's when a call came through from the defending planet and Gnar almost fell over in his haste to place himself in the captain's chair before it was accepted. Eirik's face materialized on the screen and Gnar felt a rush of fury at the sight of him. He was older, there were hints of grey in the idiotic primate's hair and wrinkles started forming on his forehead and around his eyes. but his gaze was as bold and aware as ever. Before Gnar could say anything, Eirik took the word.

"Who are you, that thinks himself capable of fielding an army strong enough to dethrone me?" Eirik took in Gnar's features as he spoke. Shorter and skinnier than the usual leaders of the Plyxii, Eirik guessed he was dealing with a highly skilled fighter with a knack for deception. A good manipulator and commander, but not an excellent one.

"I am Gnar, the Plyxii that will take revenge for killing the council and lead our people on a new path to glory!" Gnar snapped, ripped out of his stupified bewilderment by Eirik's words.

"And what revenge you are taking. An estimated 300.000 dead soldiers, at least fifty ships turned into fine debris, and a fleet that is running scared and bleeding." Eirik replied, voice dry as sandpaper and his face a mask of indifference. "I'm surprised you have the gall to sound like you plan on winning. Points for effort."

"You may have delayed us, but you will not stop us! We are the rightful rules of this galaxy, and we will take our rightful place at the top!" Gnar was getting angry, the sarcasm and indifference exuding from Eirik waws infuriating beyond belief. It was worse than being mocked. He was being dismissed.

"You are not the first to try, and you will not be the last, Gnar. But I promise you this. If you do not leave my empire at once, and publicly apologize for this despicable attack, I will destroy you. Your actions have already ruined something immensely precious to me, and now you are threatening the safety and welfare of the people within my empire. That is a transgression I will not forgive. Are you ready to risk your species in a war of genocide? Because that is the admittance fee for entering this game!" Eirik let the mask drop as he spoke and the anger that burned inside of him ever since his last vision, was finally allowed to flare up, going from embers to a small fire as he spoke.

"Your threats are empty! You have retreated to your holes and now shiver in fear at the knowledge of death approaching your hiding spots!" Gnar snarled. He refused to be intimidated, but this man was not the soldier that had killed the council. That man had been dangerous, but manageable. The man staring at him from the screen was different. More controlled and deadly. Much angrier and quite competent. The restraint to wait for more than 2 hours before showing any sign of fighting back, waiting for the one moment that gave him a fighting chance, showed that with all the clarity Gnar could want.

"Go home, Gnar. You are not ready to play with me!" Eirik said before he terminated the call, leaving Gnar mad with rage at the casual dismissal of the greatest Plyxii invasion force since the beginning of their species.

On his end, Eirik rubbed a hand over his face. He had antagonized and dismissed his enemy. Now he just had to hope the young leader gave into the instinct to rush into battle once more. The stragglers that had managed to land were being taken care of already and the traps they had activated were rearmed and reset. This was going to be bad, but if the enemy rushed forward to avenge the fallen, he still had a fighting chance that would at least let him keep the planet and lock the enemy down to the area around the spaceport.

Eirik pressed a few buttons and Jesper answered immediately. "How is everything looking?" Eirik asked

"We are as ready as we can get. All set for them to arrive proper." Jesper grinned back at him, and it struck Eirik just how much the man had grown into himself after becoming the chief of Eirik's security forces. The freedom to move where he wanted to, within reason, and deal with obstacles as he saw fit, had allowed Jesper to put his defiant nature behind him. He was still crude and ill-mannered, but he no longer did it out of maliciousness. It was just his personality and it had mellowed out. Perhaps the frequent battle also helped drive the almost unreasonable defiance and desire to see others suffer. from his mind

"I truly hope so. We are going to face Hel for that opening engagement. They are many and they are mighty pissed off."

"Been too long since I killed a furball anyway! See you on the field, Eirik." Jesper cut the call and Eirik Stared at the empty screen for a few seconds. It was time. The war against the Plyxii would begin in earnest, now.

____________________________

Kyr'Tai was displeased, but unsurprised as she read over the report sent from the scout ships hanging out on the very edge of Libertalia's borders, near the beginning battle. She had gone to great lengths to ensure she would be kept updated on every step of the Plyxii's march on Libertalia. She had a support fleet moving to reinforce the Plyxii, she had to keep up appearances, but she had instructed them to take their time in getting there. She wanted the Plyxii to bleed Eirik of his forces and defenses before she moved in and took it all from under their noses. She had hired them to fight for her and she would have the spoils of war. She had paid handsomely for Gnar to initiate the war and her bloodline's wealth had been diminished both by this and by the 5 years of war with Eirik. They were still the powerhouse among the old bloodlines, but her situation was becoming dangerous. She had many enemies and few likable traits. It was time to show them that she had the competence to make up for those minor flaws.

She flexed her claws and looked up from the report, to the 3 smaller Kloxna being trained in front of her. She had taken a mate of proper standing a few years prior; the result was her son and three daughters. As part of their culture, the girls had started training to become the next leaders of the bloodline from the moment they could speak. Her son was her secret pride and joy, something she thought would never happen, but she saw all the best qualities of all the family members she had ever known, in that little boy. He was under the personal tutelage of the few male Kloxna that opted for successful career lives instead of becoming the primary nest caretaker. They were ruthless when they needed to be, even more so than the female Kloxna, a feat she would forever be impressed by, considering her species' martial and vindictive nature.

The primary tutor, Mar'Tanik, the only bloodline patriarch among her species, head of a small high-caste bloodline, had made himself noticed when he took control of the bloodline after his last sister was killed in battle. He had also managed to turn the bloodline around, from slowly dying and failing to growing and prospering. He was competent, intelligent, and slicker than the scales of a newborn hatchling. He would be a good tutor. But she made sure to spend time with all her children. She missed the battlefield, but this was a different experience and for the first time, she started to understand her mother. The things we do, are not done for ourselves, but for those that will come to follow.

The youngest of her daughters caught her eye as she was knocked over by her instructor. The girl had always been a slight disappointment. She showed no aptitude, nor interest, in combat or being a leader. She would have to be hard on her, so she could learn to be hard in return. A weak high-caste member could undo a bloodline! "Again!" She called out to her, causing her sister to take notice and start mocking her, causing them to receive the same treatment from their instructors. "That is the punishment for losing focus!" She admonished her 2 other daughters before she returned her attention to the stack of reports she had yet to go through.