“Our local information network on the new planet has reported something very interesting, a certain rumor that has spread through the networks about a gigantic black monster entering through one of the portals and destroying one of the larger, more-established and defensible bases almost completely,” Ikats began, seizing the momentum of the meeting before Daphnixe could introduce the next topic on the itinerary. It was a point of incredible frustration. She was hoping to berate the council with one tiny issue after another to avoid this particular topic.

Daphnixe tapped the table as she considered the words. She had all the details already. She knew it was an ego conscriptor, she knew what planet it was from, she knew whose base it had entered through, and she even knew the casualty report and how many munitions were used during the fight. Her spies had been manipulating multiple humans to the point none of them could lead an army ten steps without her knowing—but she also knew this would make her look weak.

She had proposed a straightforward plan to the committee: arm and establish the humans with weapons, skills and materials, and keep them just strong enough to stall the hell-cursed as long as possible. Then, after their colony world was fully established, and they could divert their planetary forces, they would destroy everything and take the human world for themselves. It was a simple plan that she had only managed to sell to the committee because she had promised that there would be no complications and that she would show them significant progress.

A giant ego conscriptor entering a new world where the average system integration wasn’t even level 5, and no one would have a gold card if her people hadn’t given them the resources to make one, was a complication. It was a massive one, and just mentioning it threatened her political influence.

“That sounds like an ego conscriptor based on the description,” Phe’bix noted.

“This is disconcerting. Those feeble, poorly integrated humans won’t last long at all against a fully formed ego conscriptor. If it gains too large of a foothold in that region, it may threaten surrounding regions and collapse the entire planet’s chances of survival,” Daphnixe pointed out.

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Fulzeed let out a hearty laugh. “It’s only one tiny region in a very sparsely populated area. Why don’t we just blow it up then? We can send our local representative in that area bombs disguised as regular weapons, and when he uses them, the entire region will be evaporated, the ego conscriptor included.”

“If we could do that, I would have already done it,” Phe’bix shot back. “You know as well as I do that it would be breaking the thermobaric weapons treaty, and the hell-cursed have more large munitions than we do. Not to mention, while it might save the other regions, it could just as easily cause those mutation-obsessed freaks to abandon their efforts on that planet and move toward our recently colonized outpost. If they did that, are your defenses well enough established to handle the invasion?”

“No, they aren’t,” Fulzeed snarled.

Ikats looked down his nose at the head of the colonization defense. “There’s no need for you to be so dramatic. Reports from our agent may have exaggerated the danger. After all, where would a full ego conscriptor have come from? It's more likely that some mutation formed natively. You know how unpredictable the hell-cursed can be. We can simply advance the locals with more specific skills to deal with the situation. How many Holy Solar Purge Beam cards can we muster? A hundred? It would press our budget since we haven’t been as active in wars as the other factions for a decade, but it should allow them to form a dedicated kill squad with gold-level skills.”

Fulzeed shook his head in disapproval. “That’s a unique ability card. Taking that risk will forewarn the other factions that have already landed on the planet. They may discover our presence and take umbrage with our interference, and those still on their way will be sure to employ similar tactics if we do.”

“Then we can use something the natives have that is similar. We’ll check the trade hub for cards and funnel them to our agents,” Phe’bix suggested.

“An adequate plan, I suppose. Make it happen,” Daphnixe said dryly. Then she tapped her console. “Next on the agenda . . .” Daphnixe moved on to another topic for her counsel to discuss—trade relations with a federation of sentient robots—but part of her mind kept returning to the risky plan Ikats and Phe’bix had initiated and what it might mean for her career. She’d have to keep stricter tabs on the two and this little planet called Earth.