A hologram appeared on the center of the table between him and Jace. It showed his mother in the command chair of the Ashaton. Beside her was a view of the fleet moving into low Earth orbit. Khoth’s mouth went dry. His tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth and made a clicking noise when he forced it down.
“She was supposed to talk to you first,” Khoth found himself saying.
“Yeah, but I wasn’t going to say anything back that would have stopped this,” Jace told him. “Your mother respects actions more than words, I think.”
“Yes, yes, I think you may be right.”
“So this actually saves time,” Jace said with a one shoulder shrug.
His mother sat very upright in her chair. Her fingers curled around the ends of the armrests. Her knuckles were lightened, indicating that she was gripping the chair very hard. Her eyes looked almost feverish.
Can they not see that her Xi is leading her?
Khoth could glimpse other officers on the bridge behind his mother. They were all hunched over their stations, preparing for war against a species that had no defense against them. Or supposedly didn’t.
Her voice was deep as she told the fleet, “Our goal is to remove the Osiris from the hands of the unworthy humans.”
Khoth’s lips parted and his breathing quickened. He found that he could not blink or tear his eyes away.
What is she thinking? That the Osiris has no weaponry? That Jace will be so shocked by her show of force that he will simply surrender?
But his mother hadn’t seen what he had, which was the Osiris taking over every single ship in the Alliance and dispatching the current crews with a cold precision. Humans were just as useful in the Osiris’ estimation as Thaf’ell. Now with its Pilot and an army of Terminators there would be no need for other soldiers or pilots at all.
She continued, “Humanity has only crude weapons that will be no match for any of our vessels. The Osiris is not fully powered at this point and has a human Pilot. We will neutralize the Osiris’ force fields and weaponry before entering the ship and taking custody of the Pilot.”
“I really hope she gives this her best shot,” Jace said evenly.
His eyes sought Jace’s through the translucent hologram. They glowed the same blue as the pool.
Jace has control. He will make the determination as to what happens next, Khoth realized.
“You want her to realize that there is nothing she can do against you and the Osiris?” Khoth asked, but it was really more of a statement.
Jace gave a brief nod. “She’s got to really feel this defeat in her bones, Khoth. And not just her.” Jace’s eyes glowed brighter for a moment. “Okay, good. This is good.”
“What is good?” Khoth asked.
“I’m streaming this throughout the Alliance,” Jace explained. “It’s on every screen and being translated into all appropriate languages. No one in the fleet will know it until we’re done though.”
Khoth’s eyes widened. “You wish her to be humiliated?”
“No,” Jace said and his gaze focused on Khoth and became gentle, “I want to show that she has no choice about what happens next.”
Khoth considered this. “She will have the ability to accede to your and humanity’s demands because all will see the true power of you and the Osiris.”
“Yeah, the people who had tied her hands won’t be able to keep them tied. They’ll have to let her negotiate,” he said.
“Or they will send in someone else to do so,” Khoth said softly.
He immediately thought of Councillor Ardath Ulgex. His mother’s nemesis. But did it matter who they sent? And shouldn’t they send someone else? His mother was emotionally compromised, no matter what else she might claim or how others might perceive her.
“I’m sorry, Khoth,” Jace said, his lips flattening. “I know this likely isn’t going to end well for your mother. I’ll do all I can to help her see reason. No one should get physically hurt.”
“Her actions are her own, not yours,” Khoth assured him.
Jace had not caused his mother to do these dishonorable things.
His mother continued her speech, “If you encounter resistance, you are allowed to use deadly force.”
