"Just stop it.I would have managed.This is bigger than my shoulder and your guilt."
"Your passion for this will be your downfall."
"Your worry will be yours!I cannot have you worrying about me when we have lives to save!"
He stared at her.
So that's what this was about.Saving the prisoners.
"My people will be in your debt for returning their lost soldiers.Regardless if you are with them, or if you are watching from a safe distance."
"This isn't just about them.It's about all the Rhimodians.It's about the Terran Empire.It's about--it's about my father.He cannot take whatever he wants just because he can.He is supposed to lead his people, not use them as his pawns in his private game of who is the most powerful.The fact that he's creating a weapon that could wipe out a planet is disgusting and horrific.There is no need for a weapon like that, not now, not ever."She looked down, then back at Bahran."We have to stop him.Before he uses it."
"And what do you want to do to stop him?"
"Whatever it takes."
"That might involve killing him."
"If that's what it takes," she said.
Bahran flew in formation,lifting off the surface of Sol-3.The gray skies of Sol-3 got thinner and thinner as they headed for the atmosphere.He glanced at his readouts, and brought up an image of the ground.The black and red.It looked like a piece of art from this distance.
Now, though, he wondered if he would be back.
The disconnect from Master System as soon as they left the capital city hit him immediately.During the eclipse, there usually was no connection, but there was some variance on how badly the disconnect could be based on location.Being on Sol-3, there was a connection all the time, for they were on the same planet as Master System's main hubs.This was why so many Rhimodians traveled back to Sol-3 when there was an eclipse.
But even with the connection on Sol-3, it still didn't give the Rhimodians enough of a connection to their people to allow them to be prepared for the incoming Terran forces on the other worlds.They were doing what they could to defend their worlds.Master System said they were making progress, but did not elaborate.Freya worked on a system that had helped get some communication between the moons, but it was very weak, and just barely got any sort of message to those Rhimodians.
In time, the system could be better developed, but not today.
Instead, Master System focused on creating the plan with Caoimhe and Veta and the others for this mission.The plan was simple as it was dangerous.The Rhimodians were taking back their system.
Freya helped set up a tracking protocol that showed exactly where the Terran Empire's ships were, and help them determine their best course of action.
Rhimodians had already taken up arms throughout the system, but the Terran Empire's stealth attack had caused many casualties.The ones who were left organized their remaining pilots to support this initiative to get the Terran Empire out of their system.
On the brink of peace, they were going to war.It seemed almost poetic.
Testimony that war never really ended, even when you wanted it to.
The battle, though, was only a diversion.
The true task would be to stop the Emperor.
Against Bahran's wishes, Caoimhe was leading the other ambassadors to the location of this weapon the Emperor had constructed.She had the coordinates, on the edge of the Terran Empire's space, and her plan was to sneak through the battle in a Rhimodian ship and attack the weapon.
The plan was logical, but he didn't like her being a part of it.Regardless of how determined she was.She was already injured, and she needed to heal before heading into battle.
However, she was not listening to him, and it frustrated him very much.
What was it about her?She seemed to live in his mind, everything he was doing, he thought about her.Was she well, did it benefit her, whatever it was he did?He couldn't stop the thoughts.
The Craving was not helping, either.He wanted to take her back to that suite of hers and throw her on that bed just to see what he could do on that large structure.
He gritted his teeth.He needed to focus on the moment and not let thoughts of Princess Caoimhe distract him.
What a distraction she was, though.
