Khyron was well aware his previous experience with certain psychoactive compounds and his resulting wilder urges had his fellows in the Fleet rattled. This pleased him, frankly. The Zentraedi known as 'The Backstabber' honestly felt that his people should compete far more harshly, explore more options, question authority and rage as needed whenever it didn't compromise the mission, whatever it may be.
He'd felt and percieved MORE somehow, in ways he had no possible way to describe in mere words, ever since he first let his passions erupt, so rather than fall into irrationality, he dove, and gained power thereby.
Khyron's dislike of Breetai was.. elemental, somehow. He respected the old man, you didn't GET to be a full twenty tears old or so in Zentraedi culture, such as it was, without being a truly sharp one. But.. even though he suspected Breetai saw as much beyond his fellows as Khyron himself did, Breetai's command of himself and his emotions was.. *wrong* in a visceral way to the younger warrior.
Still, this was war, in which you didn't get to choose your allies, just your reactions. Khyron therefore forced some measure of calm into his being and finished his journey, stepping into the Ready Room as the door opened at precisely the right moment.
Breetai, standing at the tac-display table with his aide and strategist/science advisor Exedore, simply waved him over. Were he asked (not that anyone had the stones to), Breetai would have likely mirrored most all of Khyron's inner convictions as to their natures, just from his own less histrionic view. Much as Khyron, though, he put up with personality differances, as his people were.. squabble-prone to begin with, as one would expect of a warrior-race.
Gathering his thoughts from this reflection, Breetai simply started. "Khyron, Exedore has news that alters our plans somewhat regarding the Micronians inhabiting our prize. I'll let him get started."
Before Khyron could say something regrettable, Exedore followed up, as implacable as always. "Commander Breetai is understating things, but it IS something that we can handle while it lasts. It seems a droneship sent to get our latest reports self-detonated entering this star system while attempting De-Fold operations." He waited for a reply. After a second, Khyron obliged.
"We ourselves experienced no difficulties De-Folding into this starsystem, and we were far further insystem than the messagedrones tend to arrive at.. was it sufficiently far in from the cometary cloud? I highly doubt the Micronians here have got along far enough to have mined the system, even in their planetary plane..."
Exedore nodded, glad that his speech wasn't being wasted, Khyron was thinking. This isn't insult--a passionate race like the Zentraedi could be hardheaded at times, so it was always best to check once in a while. "The droneship was a good way below the planetary plane, and actually came to its final Defold site within orbit-shell we ourselves are at. That gave me a intimation that has proven to be the case. When the Protoculture vessel when into Fold operations so deep in their planetary gravity well.. You are aware of just how foolhardy that was?"
Khyron had indeed had many thoughts on that subject and decided to voice a few, to see how well they played. "Actually, it was foolhardy in the extreme, but also a stroke of genius if one takes their primitive wisdom into consideration. They are unsophisticated, handed technologies beyond their comprehension I suspect."
Breetai raised his remaining eyebrow. "Before we continue, Exedore, I want to hear more of this. Continue, Khyron."
Feeling only a little stung by the reminder of rank, Khyron did just that. "Breetai, Exedore, I saw the footage of the transmissions our first wave took, including the two ships destroyed at the first shot by their Heavy Armament. The reflex gun was wasted on two small ships, as we know.. but their reactions seemed even more un-coordinated afterwards! Not angry, but outright stunned, by my best estimate. I suspect that they rebuilt the Protoculture ship without disarming a automatic system to fire upon us at first opportunity."
"Very interesting theory, Khyron. You look like you have more to support your position. Go on." Breetai was paying attention. He might not LIKE his insubordinate subordinate, but he trusted the younger warrior's instincts.
"Of course, Commander. I also noted the first time they attempted to take off, likely to avoid our assault and prevent our destroying the local scenery. Their antigrav devices were easily capable of lifting the ship with great speed.. had they remained anchored. They clearly had no idea how much lift a unit put out, and you probably remember the results.."
Exedore was normally averse to abrupt interruption, but this one begged him. "It would be hard not to! I feared they were about to destroy the ship and take it from us forever, seeing the top deck tearing open like that!"
Khyron's smile was as real and as deadly as a tiger's grin upon seeng a really stupid herd animal at the watering hole off by itself. "Yes, Exedore, you DO see! That was the exact thing I thought at first, before the events played out completely. And I am certain that while the captain of that ship was unaware of just how high a risk he ran initiating Fold that deep in the gravity well, he was trying to keep his enemy.. us.. on his case, and away from the people of his world! Even now, I am sure that he is planning on keeping the planet as uninvolved as possible, as if they wouldn't tell him to do just that in any event!"
Breetai did something rare for him then.. he *smiled* to Khyron, and he meant it. "Excellent surmise, Khyron! That confirms a few of the anomalies regarding these Micronians, including their having rescued the residents of that island they sucked out here with them. Their captain is going to be rather interesting, I think, especially as the residents of that island are all still in that ship. Given the size of the Protoculture vessel, They can all live quite well in there for a time, provided they stay Micronised, of course. Your report also leads back to Exedore's brief." He turned to exedore and simply said "Continue."
As Khyron looked up at him before returning to the tac display, Exedore took up his report anew. "Yes, regarding the Fold, when the ship Folded along with the island, the atmosphere and sea, basically all contents within the Fold-sphere, this combined with the already-warped spacial structure, resulting in a rather intense surge in Fold-space energies along the region of Fold/Defold transition. That energy overload spread after we came here, and now it covers pretty much the entire system all the way out to the cometary cloud. It is slowly stabilising, as is a wormhole I detected where the ship actually emerged. Both the wormhole and Fold operations are unusuable until things settle down, in 30-60 of their diurnal/nocturnal cycles." (Exedore used their numbering system, of course.)
Khyron thoughtfully murmured "I see, and now we come to the meat of it. You called me in for a reason, aside from information, as you said this changes things. What is our situation now?"
Breetai nodded as he sat. "Exactly so. As we are not only without reinforcements until foldspace settles here and under orders to obtain the ship as intact as possible without delay, but their captain is almost certainly aware of this by now to boot, I have no choice but to have ALL our forces work together to achieve final victory."
Khyron blinked, "But we have every man organised alrea--WAIT! You mean..?"
Exedore spoke up at that point, sensing that Khyron had run out of words, finishing for him. "..the Others. Yes. I am well aware we are seperate peoples, Zentraedi yet seperate, but in this instance we have no choice at all. We HAVE to work together, despite differances."
Khyron blanched, then he actually gave a small smirk as he rose, walking for the door. "That's.. oddly familiar, somehow. I'll do as I must, as always. I believe that's all for now?"
Breetai carefully avoided rolling his eye or sighing as he allowed "That was the gist of it, yes. I'll need you back here or in vidconference in a cycle, Khyron, once I break the news to the Others. You'll want to plan strategy with Azonia." As Khyron nodded sharply and departed, Breetai turned to his friend and advisor. "And that is one conversation I look forward to even *less* that I did this one!"
All Exedore could really do was give a rueful nod and commiserating smile.
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(Posted Tue, 17 Feb 2004 04:34)
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