Thursday, April 21, 2011

Part 1 Chapter 11: Communication

2481 C.E.
UMOJAN EXPEDITIONARY FLEET
HIGH ORBIT OVER PLANET GRENAFAR
The Umojan fleet was warming up for a warp jump back to the separatists. Aboard the Andronikos, Williams walked into the admiral's personal quarters, still wearing his battle suit. He extended his hand to give him the two pieces of Namdur's pendant he was holding.
'So, you have it. Good,' McNorman looked at the piece of Protoss jewelry. 'It was my little idea. This way, we can serve both Umojan and the kind Dark Templar.'
'Give each a piece of the bounty?'
'Quite so. Later, I will need the names of the four marines that were with you. Now, this is the artifact, right?' he asked, inspecting the two similar pieces in the ghost's hand. 'Good.'
The admiral took the slightly bigger half and put it in the drawer of his night stand.
'This remains for the Protoss and the deal,' he said, putting the other one on his desk.
The ghost was standing there, waiting for orders.
'You seem confident that they will believe it that we found it like that,' McNorman rhetorically answered the question the ghost was supposed to ask.
'You take the decisions here, sir,' Williams stood aloof.
On leaving the room, he turned back and looked at McNorman.
'Who knows about this, sir?'
'Me, my aides and the commodores on this vessel. And you five that were down in the tomb. Nobody else. Keep it that way.'
'Are you referring to... Her?'
'Just to remind you of OPSEC, major, nothing personal.'
***
2481 C.E.
UMOJAN EXPEDITIONARY FLEET
PLANET 2469JU01
The expeditionary fleet arrived at the temple and sent a dropship down to the ruins. It was accompanied by the science vessel Aldrin, ferrying Paskirov, Williams, marines, and people to record the conversation.
'The units' visors are linked to the computers of the Aldrin and your unit will see what it sees,' a scientist told Williams over the roar of the engines. 'There should be no hidden Protoss for you.'
'What if it doesn't work?' Williams said loudly.
'Well, if it doesn't work, you will have to speak softly. Without any big stick at hand,' the man smiled.
In between the shakings, the major, who was listening, checked his pistol.
When the dropship landed, the group stepped down and headed to the stairs of the ruins. The Protoss stood at the base of the wide structure, looking at the approaching Terrans. Paskirov and his group crossed the grassy meadow and prepared to negotiate the return of the sphere.
The vice-admiral stepped forth against the first one and lifted his left hand to show that he had the pendant.
'We are here with our part of the deal done. We want the sphere.'
Williams interpreted and replied with their message.
'They ask why is the pendant not complete,' he said. He was concealing his thoughts with extreme diligence.
'The pendant here is in the same condition we found it in. Whoever is responsible for its current state was in possession of the other half before we came to Grenafar,' Boris declared.
The Protoss began looking at each other in agitation. The news had to have surprised them. Then, one of them put his hand into his ink-blue clothes and held out the sphere in his grey hand.
'They say that they want to know if the tomb was previously opened,' the ghost told Boris.
The vice-admiral felt disturbed. He had to make everything look plausible, but this meant that he had to lie.
'Yes, it was,' he even tried to imagine it was.
'They want to know if we had seen any traces of Protoss around that tomb.'
'No. Tell them that we did not, but also tell them that we did see plenty of Zerg. The lands around the equator were teeming with them.'
'They want to know if we have met any Sei'Tara Protoss and where,' the ghost continued the difficult discussion. 'What are you going to tell them? Be careful, Boris.'
'Right...' Paskirov thought, before making a decision. 'Bah, if these guys don't like the other Protoss, then sure, I will. Mike, tell them that I've faced Zaraldis once, back when we saved you, then again, on Jardis, plus the Protoss from that camp. Oh, and don't forget the Protoss in the Zerg colony that we saw.'
The ghost focused to convey all the events. A few minutes later, he turned to the vice-admiral.
'They want us to speak to their chieftain, Sealeris, in their village, about the Protoss captives in the colony.'
This confused the Terrans.
'Right... No, this can't happen. We are staying here. We are not coming to their village. Because we fear we may be taken hostages. Let them know,' Boris said with determination.
'They say it's fine with them and that their leader will arrive soon.'
'Ask them what do they want to know about,' he was amazed by the aliens' determination.
'They want information about the Sei'Tara and the captives. The captive Protoss in the gorge.'
Boris stood there, looking in the glowing yellow eyes of the alien. Something was wrong here. Not only in this field they were negotiating in, nor on this planet, but something that had to concern the aliens in the whole sector.
'Well, we will give them. We'll wait. Let them come and listen.'
The ghost informed the Protoss and then looked at Boris with concern.
'Are you sure you can do this? I mean, are you authorized?'
'Yes, I am authorized to take decisions that will benefit our men. I wouldn't be worthy of being a vice-admiral if all I did was stand back and wait for McNorman's orders, right? I'm taking the responsibility!'
'Your choice, then... Vice-admiral,' the ghost shrugged.
'Tell them to make the exchange.'
The elderly Protoss heard the ghost and took the artifact from his subordinate. The alien's four fingers fit perfectly over the ball, as if it were made for them. He extended his grey hands, holding the atrifact in one and keeping open the other, waiting for Namdur's relic. Paskirov reached out, put the pendant in the Protoss' palm and took the sphere.
Once the alien released it, the familiar weight of the precious artifact filled him with relief. At last, he had it with him, never to let it go again. Williams and the others that stood nearby also became more relaxed once they saw their commander again in possession. Suddenly, the ghost took the specialized goggles on his forehead and began looking around.
'What is it?' Boris pressed the sphere to his chest.
'Nothing. Just checking for any invisibles. We're safe,' Williams replied coldly.
'Knock it off,' he breathed out in annoyance and a faint smile appeared on his face.
'Yes, sir.'
The ghost seemed to make the aliens nervous, but the situation soothed out.
'We are waiting,' Paskirov said.
The Protoss left and Paskirov moved to the dropship to inform the high command of the development.
'You did not tell me you would do this, vice-admiral! What do you think you are doing?' McNorman grew angry over the news.
'I've got the sphere, sir, don't worry. It's ours again.'
'Boy, I wish we could trust these aliens more, but you yourself saw them. I mean, you were closer to their vice than any one of us,' the admiral said. 'There are moods...'
'Admiral,' Boris interrupted him, 'with all due respect, I think that moods are playing a more important role in this expeditionary fleet than they should. We are a military unit, not a bunch of sassy civilians, and we need authority. I see liberties here that the Confederate army would never allow.... Never mind, the point is that there are players here, in space, and we need friends, somebody not to be against to.'
'Well, it's too late to change what you said, Paskirov. Good luck.'
***
A few hours later, the sphere was back on the Andronikos, in its special box. Down at the temple, evening was setting in. The Terrans were waiting and suddenly red rectangles appeared on Williams' visor as he was looking in the woods. The cloaked Protoss were arriving.
In the open, in front of the trees, they appeared, several figures led by an elderly one. Their eyes, the ghost noticed, glowed in distinct purple.
The aliens approached the human group in dignity and their chieftain stopped in front of Paskirov.
'He is Sealeris, leader of the Dark Templar here, and he bids us welcome to Dawaihin,' Williams began.
Boris, however, was still a bit distrustful of alien welcomes and decided to stick to the point.
'I am vice-admiral Paskirov, of this Umojan expeditionary fleet. What do you want to know?'
Sealeris looked at him in the eyes.
'He wants to know everything about the captured Protoss. It is of great interest to them.'
That was fine.
'Right. So, our troops were walking through the colony and at one point, they saw a big pile of semi-transparent slime on the rocks to their left. They approached and upon examining it, they saw that inside it, there were Protoss,' he recollected.
'What condition were the captives in?' the ghost continued.
'From what I remember from the data, they were unconscious. Standing still inside those wombs.'
'What were their eyes like?' the ghost interpreted the thoughts of the uneasy Sealeris.
'Erm, they were there, yes. Purple, really smaller than those of your other, normal kinsmen.'
The elder relaxed and looked assuringly at his aides.
'He says if we know of the nature of the Zerg,' Williams was bewildered. He was beginning to anticipate something important. Boris began explaining their knowledge of the monstrous life forms.
'We have been examining them since we first met them. We know some things about their physiology and their structure. We know that they are very strong and agile, very aggressive, and that they can withstand lots of damage.'
'Telling him,' Williams noted.
'Also,' Boris continued, 'they have colonies, again made of living matter. There are all sorts of organic structures in them. The colonies are covered with some sort of purple creep and in one colony, we found cocooned guys of your race. This, and some runes, which I do not know in detail, have led our scientists to conclude that the Zerg feed with other living things, or try to assimilate them.'
Sealeris paid close attention to the vice-admiral's information.
'He congratulates us on our wisdom and powers of observation. We are right, they do have the capabilities of adopting new species to their own. He says that this was observed. However, the Protoss are not assimilable. Their psionic abilities protect them from the evil grip of the Zerg enemy,' the ghost conveyed.
'What about us, humans? Are we protected?' Paskirov suddenly felt a chilling wave down his back.
Sealeris stood silent for a while and then the major reported the answer.
'He doesn't know. All he knows is that when the Zerg first met the Sei'Tara, they tried to make the Protoss a part of their gene pool. The first encounter was long ago, and he believes that no other Protoss groups except the Sei'Tara and these separatists here have seen the Zerg. Yet. Some time ago, the Zerg seemed to stop trying, but the latter's efforts to assimilate them have been renewed, as your, that is – our – finding suggests. '
'Is that a good thing?' Boris doubted it would be.
'The Zerg are a very dangerous species, if they can be called that. Their numbers are great and they have been expanding through space for as long as these Protoss have known them. Countless worlds have been invaded and have fallen to them as of now. Where they go, they take the best fauna and make them part of their own common flesh, enriching the Swarm with the finest and most efficient beings they encounter,' the ghost began revealing concern while speaking. 'They infuse what they find and perfect it into a new, more furious form of life.'
'My dear,' Paskirov's pupils had widened.
'The Zerg are more than just animals – they are an intelligent whole, a Swarm, guided by unseen Zerg beings. This Swarm fights with rage, cunning and fearlessness, seeking to devour more and more planets. With each new colony their strength grows, and with each new conquest, there is resources for more colonies. The Zerg can travel through space, Boris. They have assimilated species, behemoths, that migrate through worlds, and use them. They can even make portals from one planet to another.'
All the humans stood frozen, listening to the ghost.
'The Sei'Tara tribe had been fighting the viciously expanding Zerg for countless years. With bravery and skill, they have kept them at bay, far from Protoss space. These worlds, the local space, is the current frontline. Further ahead are other systems controlled by the Sei'Tara, and beyond that are the Zerg. This world, Dawaihan, that Sealeris' group inhabits, are aside the main theatre of events.'
'So, the problem is that the Zerg are again optimistic about welcoming the Protoss to the team... Why should that bother us?'
'So... Two reasons,' Williams said. 'First, what would happen in case the Zerg succeed. Any species that is absorbed into the Swarm is enhanced. It becomes more vicious in form and in nature. The enemies we saw were an upgraded form of what they used to normally be. Once in the common mass of the Zerg, they evolve into more monstrous things. Whereas what we saw were the vestiges of ordinary animals, there is no telling what could happen if they get their hands on a Protoss.'
Boris felt he was defensively drawing back from Sealeris. The aliens in front of him were a race of gracious beings that led a nomadic life. They also possessed great intelligence and even telepathy...
'So, if these Zerg manage to integrate one of you... Of these,' he looked at the nervous ghost, 'they will be even more powerful?'
'Yea, yes. They will be. The Zerg will acquire an incredible genome and once that happens, nobody knows what terrors will be bred.'
'Right. Damn great. And I suppose that the Sei'Tara will fall and we, humans, are next?'
'You think right,' Williams spoke Sealeris' thoughts. 'Us or the other Protoss. Regardless, what human worlds there are will have to fight to survive against nothing that they have seen before. Decide what chances you have. To quote his thoughts,' Williams remarked grimly.
'So, it's in the best interest of both our species to prevent that from happening? I got that.' Boris said.
'There is more, commander. The second reason. Sealeris asks what do we know of the current leader of the Sei'Tara.'
Oh, so maybe the catch is here. If you find it difficult to perceive what was already said as the catch.
'The one called Xentus became the leader of the tribe some time ago and had the tribe look for a slab he found out about. The slab was hidden in an unknown location and it held the knowledge about great powers that, if used, could turn the tide against the Zerg and bring down Khas' empire on Aiur,' Boris presented his knowledge.
'Well, it may come as a shock to you, commander,' Williams said with a certain irony, 'but that's not entirely the case. He asks where did you hear the story.'
'That old guy at Jardis, why?'
'He says, that this is the dogma of the Sei'Tara. It is not true. He and his brethren here found out about the real thing. And left the tribe because of that.'
'But if all that was a lie, why should their, your,' Boris pointed at Sealeris, 'story be true?'
'Trusting us, quote, is up to you,' the ghost said evenly.
'Alright, what is wrong with the Sei'Tara then?'
'Lots of things. These separatists here have met other Protoss. From them, and some evidence, they realized that much of the Sei'Tara's lore is not true. Nor was it complete. They don't even know the location of Aiur, their race's homeworld. Khas was not a tyrant. Nor did the Dark Templar flee Aiur from him. They were sent away by a great Protoss called Adun...'
'Just tell him to be brief, Mike,' the vice-admiral interrupted.
The ghost stood silent for a few seconds.
'The big problem about the Sei'Tara now is their leader, Xentus. Xentus was tyrannical and imposed various regulations on the tribe, strengthening his authority with dogma and proscriptions. He outlawed any research on alien life forms, or their remains, that was not controlled by his ruling council.'
'Yea, I know the feeling,' Boris murmured.
'He enforced the worship of the gods – something that never needed to be done. The gods left Aiur, without a trace and needed no worship, because there was no way they could hear. They were nowhere to be found. Still, the sanctity was preserved in the minds of his subjects through worship and coercion. This went as far as to forbid the saying of the gods' real name.'
Williams made a brief pause and continued.
'Soon, his pursuit of purity began to run counter to logic and reason. When some of his tribe began to disagree with the official lore, many of whom are now in this clan, he was merciless. All those who did not follow the rules, regardless of motivation, were persecuted. Here they are now. They are free, most of them. They know things about the slab that Xentus does not, and refuses to learn.'
'Right. Now, how is the slab connected to the Zerg issue?'
'According to the Sei'Tara, the slab contains the power of the gods. That is the official version, upheld and enforced by Xentus, its discoverer. The slab can teach the Protoss some unknown abilities and give the tribe great strength. However, Sealeris has found out that the slab may contain information on how to combine Protoss and Zerg, how to make the two races one.'
'Wow!'
'You see,' Williams felt like a dictaphone, 'what protects the Protoss' essence from the Zerg is their psionic abilities. Because such talents are natural to the Protoss, they are indigestible, safe. The slab was carved by the gods, called the Xel'Naga - a name forbidden in the rest of the tribe. The Xel'Naga knew about the Zerg as well and, at least at the time these ruins in this part of the galaxy were built, had done some studying over them. These separatists here believe that the gods knew how to avoid the Protoss' natural defenses from assimilation. Somehow, a way around was found.'
It seemed to the Terrans present that the shadows of the trees and the temple around them grew longer.
'So, the slab better not be found?'
'Indeed. Xentus, recently, has been looking for it harder than ever. If he finds it, though, he will be in for a bad surprise. The problem is, that he will keep it. He keeps everything he finds, without exception. What will happen when he finds it is he will find himself and the warriors of the Sei'Tara fighting a lost battle, because he was wrong. He will see that he was trying to obtain something that did not exist in the first place. Then, he will continue fighting, that is his nature. The Zerg will overrun that tribe sooner or later, and he will die rather than call for help. But also, when this happens, the enemy will gain possession of the slab he had unearthed. They will inevitably invade and consume his tribe's homeworld and the treasures he has amassed will be theirs. And these separatists' worst nightmares will come true.'
'A new breed of Zerg...' Paskirov was beginning to realize the gravity of the situation. 'And that Xentus refuses to believe all this?'
'That's right,' Williams checked with Sealeris.
'What chances does Xentus have of finding the slab?'
'He says, significant. The Sei'Tara are strong. They have warships that no other Dark Templar have. They have many archaeologists, too, although that particular estate is limited lately. Xentus is constantly sending his general, Zaraldis, on missions on distant planets, with troops and researchers. He is so obsessed with finding the slab, that he neglects the defense of his own tribe and they have been suffering defeats lately.'
So, Boris thought. There is a madman out there, on the loose. A threat to both Protoss, and Terrans with his fanatic quest for the Xel'Naga formula. His victory in this endeavour would create a tidal wave of hurt heading straight towards the Terran sector. These Protoss would drown first, and the Terran worlds, from Umoja to Tarsonis would follow. The new goals of the fleet were getting obvious.
'Ask them why did they steal the sphere and what purpose does it serve, Mike.'
'The sphere we – I – found is a rumored Xel'Naga map of systems with temples on them. These temples hold information about the Xel'Naga's research on the two races, Protoss and Zerg. Also, although the culmination is the slab, its location is supposedly not marked on the lights in it. The temples on these special systems, they believe, are only storehouses or laboratories. The sphere was an artifact that they forgot and that you... I mean – I, found. Sealeris stole the sphere to see if it, indeed was the map.'
'Well, he got his answer,' Boris replied angrily. 'And, he found that he could not use it, did he?' he smiled.
'Yes, he did,' the ghost spoke. 'This is why our fleet is the most capable of anyone else in the local sector to find the slab before Xentus. He asks us to find the slab before the Sei'Tara does and destroy it.'
Oh, boy, news for the high command, Paskirov thought. How would THEY react to all this... Well, at least the Umojans will get their data. Hell, plenty of it. Still, why the expeditionary fleet?
'Why can't you fight the Sei'Tara yourselves and want us to do it for you?' he daringly told Sealeris.
'Because,' Williams began, 'they are weak and cannot deal with the tribe. Every place the Sei'Tara archaeologists visit is visited by their armed forces first. These separatists are enemies to Xentus, black one, and he is stronger. And, their cloaking tricks cannot work on the enemy. It would be a suicide for them to go raiding temples when Zaraldis is out there.'
As if we couldn't say the same, the vice-admiral said to himself and frowned.
'The sphere is usable by Terrans only... And Xel'Naga, for obvious reasons. The Zerg use psionics, too, they will be just as helpless with it as are the Protoss, or us, ghosts,' Williams said. 'We are the only ones here who can do something useful about the status quo.'
He stopped to hear Sealeris and continued.
'This fleet is dangerous for Xentus, for what it can do. It is a threat to his plans, with all its speed and precision. They have seen us using the sphere to pinpoint the location of the temple with magic-like accuracy. Zaraldis' carriers have to follow various landmarks and specifications from the vague and contradictory theorizing that the Sei'Tara have done using what runes they've got. We do it with ease. Our fleet is perfect for the purpose.'
'Well, tell him that I cannot guarantee our assistance, because I really cannot decide that. But I will put the matter into consideration.'
'He is thankful for that,' Williams said.
'We are thankful for his knowledge, too. Much appreciated.'

***
The air in the conference room of the Andronikos was tense. The commanders of the Umojan expeditionary fleet were all gathered here, watching Boris who was stepping forth. They were waiting to hear what the results of the talks were.
'Gentlemen, I heard the Protoss down there, as you know, and the news I have are dire. We are in grave danger.'
'What exactly?' Stevens said from his seat.
'First of all, these Protoss are a different group. They are separatists from the others that we met so far. They are against the Sei'Tara.'
'How do we know they are not against us, too?' Richardson said.
'They told me what goal they pursue. And... It is not encouraging.'
'Go ahead,' McNorman invited him to speak.
'As you know, the supposed leader of the Sei'Tara tribe, Xentus is on the look for a special slab that holds the secret to a great power of unknown nature. I was told that this was not true.'
A wave of doubt soared through the meeting.
'The slab that those Protoss are looking for actually holds some sort of formula with which Zerg can assimilate these aliens.'
'What do you mean “assimilate”?' Ferguson said.
Boris began explaining all the concepts and the details about the Zerg and other species.
'So, this slab can allow the Zerg to merge with the Protoss into something really powerful?' McNorman was thinking.
'That's right. These guys down there fear it. The same ones who sneaked past our full force and took the artifact from under our very noses. If this hybrid makes them concerned, than that must be one huge damn problem.'
'Why don't we just steal some more artifacts and get back home? These Protoss have done nothing to deserve our help,' said Bracknell.
'And, besides, we hardly won against them once, what if we lose the next fight?' Ferguson raised the problem. 'There will be nothing left of this fleet if we lose. The enemies will chew us up.'
The other officers nodded in confirmation.
'Look, you do not seem to understand the gravity of the situation here,' Boris turned to them. 'There is a tribe out there who do not know what they are getting into. Xentus is playing with fire, and he is having more than a great time, and he does not realize the consequences of all this. I was told that the Sei'Tara chieftain is so obsessed with finding the slab that he is sending his armies to crazy missions far from his tribe's systems, while the Zerg threaten and assail his planets with impunity! If he does not succeed, his armies, provided that they return to the defensive before he is dead, will have little left do defend. If he succeeds, he will find himself fighting a lost battle against an overwhelming enemy. And he will fight it to the end. And the Zerg will find a slab-shaped surprise package waiting for them among his collection of artifacts. I'm sure you can guess what will happen then.'
'How do we know that the Zerg will even read it? Aren't they just beasts?' Arnold asked.
'Sealeris, when he was narrating, told me that the Zerg are intelligent. Their forces are centralized and are commanded by unknown strands. It is quite possible that their leaders be able to decode the slab, if they can lead an army,' Boris clarified.
'Why don't we just try to tell their leader, Xentus, that he is wasting his time?' Summers raised the question.
'You are certainly welcome to try,' Paskirov answered. 'Protoss from his own group tried to do that and they faced his sanctions. And they eventually had to flee.'
'So, it's all about whether we leave our mission, with which we were tasked by our motherland and prevent a crazy, paranoid Xentus-person from making the mistake of his life? Doesn't sound much corresponding to our plans,' Richardson objected. 'And why should we trust a word they say?'
'Because they played their part in the deal! They were honest about their intentions down there. And there was nobody executed because of communicating with us! As for our plans, commodore,' Boris lowered his voice, accenting on Richardson's title, 'were to find what we can about the aliens out here. Not to go around old ruins like civilian tourists. We were given these battleships so that we could have military force to use when necessary. Now it is necessary.'
Tumult took over the officers as they began arguing between each other. The admiral's loud call for silence restored order.
'He is right. Now it is, indeed, necessary,' McNorman said in a calmer tone. 'I am supposed to take the final decisions for such issues gentlemen. From what I heard, I can impartially conclude that we, in our tactical agility and clear view on the situation, bear great responsibility for what will become of these Protoss, whether friends or enemies. The situation is no longer about friends or foes or runes. It is clear to every one of us that the Zerg will be a threat to all of mankind if they find the slab or find out from the Sei'Tara Protoss what the slab tells. There is a task before us of a higher priority than scanning ruins. We can play a part in this mad quest. And we will. By the authority vested in me by the Umojan Council, I declare that from this moment on, this fleet's main task is to find the location of the special slab and destroy it for the benefit of all mankind.'
One second later, the conference hall erupted in anarchy. The anti-Protoss party began objecting, only to face the pro-Protoss feeling officers. People were standing up from their chairs. McNorman was looking at his fleet succumbing to childish discord. Everybody was arguing with someone. Well, almost everybody. He heard the vice-admiral come next to him.
'Sir, this is the discipline issue I mentioned down there,' he said coldly.
'I know. I know. But there is nothing I can do. I feel so tired,' the admiral complained. 'My sleep is disturbed, these days, Boris. And... This.'
'Sir, you need to enforce some discipline. You are in command. You are responsible for their behavior. You are responsible for their obedience. For their obedience first and for their happiness and freedom second.'
'I know, but... We are Umojans. We are not that apt in the art of war, like you, Confederates. We are a nation of philosophers and intellectuals. We are accustomed to liberty and equal rights.'
'Then, perhaps, sir, it is time to change things. We are not on Umoja. Things are not alright and there is no time to discuss metaphysics or whatever. We are in war! Can we win in what awaits us if we act like this?' Boris felt he was chiding his own boss.
'But this is not the Confederate army, Paskirov. We do not possess the order and strictness that you do!' McNorman defended himself.
'You should. You really should, because you really need to. Right now, fortune calls us to do our job when asked to and stand as one against whatever enemy might come. The events demand from us discipline.'
'What would you have me do, oppress them?' McNorman looked at him bleakly.
'Sir, with all due respect, they are oppressing you. Your own subordinates are questioning your decisions. Look at them – do you still think you have the final word?' Paskirov pointed at the disorder among the high command. 'You need to show them who's boss. Your authority is vanishing from this fleet and when it's not here, discord steps in to fill the vacuum. You may not like the thought, but you must be more... Confederate. This is the only way to unite these men into an efficient tool of war that our fleet is supposed to be.'
'Ehm... The fleet is expeditionary, really,' the admiral began. Boris caught the sigh of Williams who was still sitting in his chair, ever stone-faced and distant from the fires of dispute that raged around him.
'Sir,' he smiled. 'We are two battlecruisers and two Wanderer-class ships ahead of an expeditionary fleet. We have a whole infantry battalion under our command. We are a damned army if we go out there fully deployed... Under your command.'
'You are right. There will be order. Things must change.' He stood up and shouted for silence. The officers sat down, one by one, seeing his stern, angry face. 'From now on, you are forbidden from speaking once I have closed the session. You are forbidden to stand up from your chairs and to talk to anybody else except me when we are outside this room until I have let you at ease. Any such behavior will be disrespectful and will be punished. Am I clear?'
The officers were silent.
'I will take that as a yes. I suggest you take what I said as a tip on how to make things run smoother between us for the next weeks or months or whatever time it takes us to find the slab. Because this is what we are going after, gentlemen,' McNorman raised his index finger in a warning manner. 'by my order.'
The high command was listening attentively. From his chair next to McNorman's, Paskirov could swear he saw a faint smile on the ghost's face.
'At ease,' the admiral said and everybody began standing up to leave. Nobody said a word.
McNorman fell in his chair, waving at his face with his service hat.
'Damn, I feel exhausted. I need a rest. I don't know what's wrong.'
'Maybe you should get something to get you sleeping more smoothly from the medics, sir,' Boris suggested, waving at Summers, who was at the door, to wait.
'Yes, yes. Maybe.'
***
The next day, the human command met the Protoss on the surface. The aliens were asked for any help they could give to the expeditionary fleet and Sealeris did not hesitate to oblige them despite the separatists' small numbers. 150 of the skilled, shadowy Protoss warriors joined the fleet, in addition to 10 of their archaeologists. These were mainly volunteers and were sworn to serve the admiral of the human fleet in his actions against Xentus. Aboard the Androniks, special cargo holds were prepared for their residence so that the commander of the Protoss, Adelnur, could stay close to the admiral without having to be separated from his subordinates.

No comments:

Looking for something specific?

About This Blog

  © Blogger templates Sunset by Ourblogtemplates.com 2008

Back to TOP