Rheya took a deep breath, her chin lifting as she indicated the hologram. "I think the battle of Rothchild, where humans lost nearly a quarter of their ships for a non-crucial target, demonstrates this concept."
Raider looked down. "Well, fuck."
A pin dropping could have been heard as all eyes swiveled toward Kira, checking her reaction. Her expression was blank, numbness spreading through her.
She hadn't expected them to take this tactic as a means to hurt her. Rheya was smarter than Kira had given her credit for. And more ambitious. Kira would have to remember that.
"I take it from Raider's reaction, she chose an emotionally charged battle," Jin guessed.
His presence in her mind was muted, which meant he wasn’t seeing out of her eyes.
"It's Rothchild," she whispered.
There was an audible indrawn breath.
"Oh, Kira. I'm sorry," Jin finally said.
Kira didn't respond. She couldn't; her throat was thick with heartbreak. Shards of ice expanded across her chest, deadening everything it touched.
She was right there again, a Tsavitee war party appearing out of nowhere. Her friends too far away for her to help. Knowing there was nothing she could do to change what was coming.
Feeling the ship's internal screams as theCSS Vegabroke apart, watching the moon disintegrate from a plan she'd put into action, its debris shredding their ships along with the enemies’.
Kira inhaled slowly, forcing herself to count to three before exhaling. When she'd finished, she did it again and again until she'd stuffed all those emotions in their boxes.
Rothchild was a very long time ago. How long would it take until a simple mention of its name no longer affected her this severely?
"That's it, Kira. She wants a reaction. Don't give her one," Jin coaxed.
Kira hummed softly, letting Jin know without words she appreciated his support.
She focused. The woman shifted nervously, suddenly not seeming so confident under the hostile gazes of the two at her side as she had moments before.
Wren waited, his body tense. When Kira didn't do anything, he relaxed. "Rheya, I assume you have data to back up your conclusion."
She nodded, recovering a modicum of her confidence. She gestured, and the scene shifted, the ships starting to move. "Human media claims this battle was the turning point of their war. I don't understand why. I’ve created a simulation of the battle based on reports and footage I found."
She expanded the planet, clicking through so the audience was treated to several shots of its terrain. Snow-covered mountains, continents threaded with thousands of rivers.
Rothchild had seventy-four percent landmass. The primary form of water came from snow caps and the glaciers that riddled its poles.
A humble city took shape, the buildings simple, most not even topping three stories. The planet was still in the early days of settlement. They hadn't bothered with beauty and form when building their cities and towns, more concerned with function and efficiency.
"From what I could find, there was little in the way of strategic resources that needed protecting. There was no obvious tactical value in this colony," Rheya continued.
The hologram expanded to the moon and the armada of ships. Four destroyers, each housing nearly a thousand soldiers, escorting one large carrier craft.
"What about the lives of three million souls?" Blue challenged.
Rheya paused. "Humanity claims they were in a fight to prevent their annihilation. Three million lives do not justify crippling your fleet, no matter how difficult a decision such as that would be."
It was easy for Rheya to say. Three million lives of her own people hadn’t been at stake.
In the simulation, five dots separated from the human ships, streaking across space away from the planet and its moons. Shortly after, several Tsavitee warships, all elite or superior class, moved into view.
Kira's hand clenched on the desk as she took a slow breath, knowing what would happen next.
Two of the destroyers moved out of formation, one taking the lead as they raced for the dots.
