Laila
This was exactly what she had hoped for. A chance to really make a difference, to test the team’s abilities in a situation other than a simulated scenario. She quickly straightened her uniform and turned to Zac.
“Elthea? Where’s that?”
“It’s three systems away, on the border of our space.” He stood, and straightening his uniform, started towards the door.
“Zac? Wait. What’s wrong?”
He stood with one hand braced against the doorway, his head lowered. “I don’t think we should take the mission.”
She gaped at him, lost for words.
“It's not safe!” He thumped the flat of his hand against the wall, emphasizing each word. “Maybe I can request that it be reallocated to another team.”
“No.” She stood tall, hands on her hips, shaking her head. “Absolutely not.”
Zac’s eyes shot to hers.
This mission was hers for a reason—it was to see how humans handled themselves in an actual combat situation—she would not be denied the chance to prove that they were equal to the task.
She would not back down. Not now. Not ever.
She turned to face him, putting her hands on her hips. “Do you think I can't handle it?” she asked softly.
“No, of course not—”
“Then why would you ask them to give this mission to another team when we’ve worked so hard?”
“It isn't safe—”
“When is combat ever safe, Zac?”
Laila took a step towards him, waving her hands in the air. “Of course it’s not safe! We've all lost people, not just you.”
His golden skin lost some of its color at her words.
“I should have prevented their deaths, but I didn’t…” He trailed off, his eyes stricken.
Laila felt herself soften towards him. She knew exactly how he felt; she had been there herself. But they were soldiers... warriors... and they knew the risks.
She knew she needed to get herself into the field, otherwise how could she show the Taureans—show Zac—what she was capable of? The safe environment of the simulation suite wasn’t enough.
Her research through the Taurean databases had shown just how many species the Xakul had wiped out already. Just like they would wipe out Earth if they weren’t stopped. The insect-like race was seeking planets to use—to destroy—for their nurseries; planets with oxygen rich environments, plenty of water, and just warm enough to incubate their eggs.
After laying their eggs and protecting them until they hatched, the adults would evacuate to escape the resulting feeding frenzy. The hatchlings would decimate anything in their path, destroying entire species of plants and animals until nothing remained, then they would feed on the weakest of their own species. The strongest would remain and be incorporated into the Xakul's ranks.
The best way to prevent the growth of the Xakul was to find these planets before the Xakul did and protect them, training any sentient inhabitants to defend themselves against the bestial aliens. If the planets were not inhabited by sentient species, then troops would need to be deployed to protect it, or risk losing it to the Xakul.
The problem was that the more planets that needed defending, the fewer troops there were to fight on the front lines. And the Xakul were going further and further afield to find planets on which to breed. They were quickly becoming the worst parasites in the galaxy, and they had to be stopped.
She straightened and took a fortifying breath, steeling her resolve. “Nowhere is safe, Zac. We could get hit by an asteroid and we'd all be dead tomorrow. You can't live your entire life trying to prevent something that might never happen.”
Every day was one day closer to the Xakul’s eventual attack on Earth. She needed to learn everything she could about tactics that worked against the Xakul, and what better way to do that than on an actual mission?
Pursing her lips, she tried again. “Zac, I need this mission. My only experience with the Xakul before this was hiding in the hills and taking pot shots as they destroyed a settlement I was meant to protect.”
Surely he would understand how important this was.
