I was in my office looking over the projected numbers of troops and ships I'd have to leave behind at Eden to keep the planet stable and safe now that it was under the control of the Deva Collective. With the Admiral in charge of the planet's defense surrendering without a fight, I needed to leave more security forces to look after the prisoners and fewer construction forces to rebuild any wrecked parts of the planet. I could also use the confiscated ships to reinforce the defensive fleet I would leave here.

The ships we'd taken were actually very useful in allowing the Nephilim Army, and by extension the Deva Collective, to know what exactly we would be sending our ships and troops to fight against. Each ship that had been a part of this fleet was built around one magnetic rail cannon as the main weapon and only had a few missile bays or smaller rail cannons to act at shorter ranges or for point defense. Even fewer had shuttle hangars that were capable of accomadating more than five shuttles at once. These starships were obviously built on a planet and as such were small enough to take the gravitational pull of the planet during construction and take-off without shearing in half.

I guess they were using the human's superior physiology in physical combat to fight the Wardens of Life and win as handily as they had been. Warden ships, Alliance ships as well given their history, were all built in space and created with the knowledge that they would never land on a planet in mind. Because of that, all Warden ships were larger and better equipped than starships that were capable of entering atmosphere for any reason. That size could be a detrement, but when your entire population has to fit on a starship or two, building a ship that measures ten miles at the smallest of any of the three measurements is just common sense. I'd talked them down to half that size for all my ships and they'd built them to those sizes. It meant I could fit more in my Galaxy-Jumpers than anyone else could.

The door opened while I was lost in thought and going through the projected numbers of food and supplies on the moon colony that had been turned into a prison for the Empire's military forces. Escorted by Carrie and a Paladin that acted as security was the former Admiral John Grahm.

"Admiral Grahm," I greeted him as I looked up. "So good to see you in person."

I was reminded when I looked at him that the Nephilim had been grown to heights that surpassed the natural limits of Humans without either growth enhancements or genetic drift occuring. Sitting in my chair behind my desk, I could look him directly in the eyes and not have to crane my head or look down.

"Demigod James," he greeted me respectfully as Carrie moved to the couch and sat while the Paladin guard took standing position by the door. "Thank you for agreeing to see me."

He was being much more respectful and polite now that I had more than just the biggest stick.

"It's no trouble," I assured him, no need to antagonize someone without a reason. "What can I do for you? Please, sit."

"It's about the people under my command," he said, easing himself into a chair. "Many of them were volunteers from Eden and have family that I'd like them returned to. Just as many of them were a part of the Defensive Garrison that the bigshots on Earth said we needed to keep on all the planets while the war was underway. Those men and women were often recruited from the planet's population and they're just as native as the volunteers. I'd like your permission for those people to be allowed to return to their families while you occupy our planet."

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"We can certainly do that," I agreed to his request easily. "We'll just need all the files on your people so that we can cross-check who's who and inform their families that they're coming home. We'll also need to prepare tracking and observation measures to ensure that none of them decide that patriotism to the Empire is more important than their lives."

"Thank you, sir," Grahm said. "I understand that you'll likely not allow me to be released, so I would also like to ask that my family be allowed to visit me while I'm on Zophiel. I've lived on Eden for the last twenty-five years and my wife and I were married here."

"I can let them call you in holo once a week," I allowed. "They won't be able to vist more than once a month and all communications will be monitored. As long as you don't attempt to violate my trust in allowing this, I can also relax any restraints that you'll have to wear when they visit you. I'm trying to save lives and keep as many people safe as I can; I don't want to be some sort of tyrant that keeps families apart."

"Thank you," he said. I may have imagined it but he sounded more sincere in his thanks with that than he had when I'd agreed to let his people go back to their homes.

"Will there be anything else?" I asked him.

"No sir, not at this time," Grahm said.

"Then if you'll please follow your escort back to the shuttle, you can get started on opening those files we need to get your people home," I said.

"Of course, thank you again," he said standing and offering his hand. My father had always told me that you never shake a man's hand sitting down unless you physically can't stand or you're being deliberately disrespectful, so I stood to my full height and took Grahm's hand.

"I hope you can continue to work with us to keep your people safe and happy while we work out the rest of this terrible business," I said to him sincerely.

"I hope so too," he said before turning and leaving my office with his escort.

"That went better than it could have," Carrie said. "Once he wasn't trying to win a fight with us, he actually turned out to be very easy to get along with."

"That's because he doesn't have all their lives riding on his decisions anymore," I told her. "When every decision you make can lose lives, you're harder on the world. I do it, you do it, Kyouka and Julio do it, I don't think there's anyone that becomes easier to get along with when they have a command like that."

"Unless they're some sort of psycho," Carrie said.

"Maybe," I allowed. "They might be just as hard because if they aren't they can lose their own lives."

"What's the next planet on the list?" she asked. "I'm already ready for this to be over. We're supposed to fight Scourge, not our own people."

"I agree," I said, "that's why the next planet in line is Earth."

"Really?" she asked. "Why not another planet like Eden?"

"The size of the fleet here," I told her. "All numbers that the Collective has gathered said that there were enough ships, even at their sizes, to build fleets that reach over a thousand ships in size for the defense of all the main planets. Eden was a main planet in the Empire and it had maybe two hundred and ninety ships defending it. That might mean that they're going all in on attacking the Wardens, or it might mean something else."

"What's that?" Carrie asked. "That Earth is selfish enough to mass all the defensive fleets to protect themselves?"

"That's exactly what I think," I said. "If we're right about that, then Earth is going to be the hardest nut to crack and they're also going to get stronger and stronger as the war goes on. Best to nip that issue in the bud now, rather than in ten years when we're running dry on reinforcements, ships, and willpower."