The loss of those facilities had been a blow to the Sowir, but Lurker of the Depths knew that it mattered little to the war effort. The Empire had even allowed them three full cycles during which they had not tried to push further into the Sowir systems; rather, they had ignored their advantage and only solidified the systems they had taken, which at the time had baffled the Sowir. The Enemy gave them time to rebuild, to fortify their systems.
And then the calm ended. The Enemy attacked their systems, and effortlessly blew through them. The Sowir decided to fall back to the system that had birthed them. Here they had spent hundreds of years building defenses; there they thought to make the Enemy pay. And now, they watched from the depths of their world as the Enemy systematically destroyed every piece of military technology or facilities in their system. Although, strangely, they chose to keep the facilities that had no military use intact.
The twelve of the greatest Sowir were connected through their telepathy, speaking and discussing in moments what would take an ungifted much longer.
“The last of our war vessels have been destroyed. Our cargo and transport vessels have been disabled and left floating in the void. The enemy vessels are moving in orbit around home. Their actions make little sense,” Sand Shard sent.
“I concur. They could have wiped the home clear of life with their weapons,” Shallow Water agreed.
“Ever since our battle station was destroyed, they have been sending surrender requests over all channels we use, in all the languages of the Consortium, even ours. They say that we will be spared, and treated fairly if we do,” Sand Shard added.
“They captured some of our translating equipment early on, along with some of our people. But their requests for surrender are illogical. Why should we stop fighting and let them kill us?” Dark Stream sent.
“The last of the Consortium are a part of their community; they must want to hold a trial before they finish us. Under their laws, the only sentence for our acts is death. We would be spared until then,” Lurker of the Depths sent.
“Idiocy. If they could use the Spirit, they would have no need for those trials,” Last Wave added.
“It is the way of the ungifted,” Lurker of the Depths added.
“We have failed. There is nothing more that we can do. We will die,” Last Wave sent, and all agreed.
Harbinger – High orbit over Sowir homeworld
Adrian waited in the Harbinger’s landing bay for the shuttle from the prison ship. Beside him stood Akash, Sora, and Paul.
“You shouldn’t do this. I know that you are hurting, but this insanity will only get you killed,” Paul said for the hundredth time.
“This has nothing to do with Bethany’s death,” Adrian said more harshly than he’d intended. Then, after a beat, he continued calmly. “This was always the plan. It’s why I brought the prisoners here. By now, the Sowir on the planet will be wondering why we haven’t attacked the planet yet. Why we are still transmitting surrender offers. It does not fit into what they believe about us, and that will make them curious.”
“I still think that you should still take people down with you,” Paul added.
“No,” Adrian said. “They need to see me vulnerable; they need to know that I am in their power if they are to talk with me.”
Paul sulked silently. Adrian knew that his friend worried, that he believed that Bethany’s death was making Adrian careless, reckless. But it wasn’t so; he would end this war because of her. Because he wouldn’t let another die to the lunacy of Sowir beliefs.
The shuttle landed and Adrian entered it alone, leaving Paul and his two wolions behind. Inside, he was met with the pilot and the two soldiers who were guarding the Sowir prisoner—Clear Waters—. Adrian nodded at them, and the three exited the shuttle, the doors closing behind them, leaving him alone with the prisoner. He looked at her, for the first time seeing an unrestrained Sowir.
“I trust that you realize this is your people’s last chance. If they kill me, all of you will die,” Adrian sent to her.
“Yes. The island is the one place where there is a chance that they will meet with you,” Clear Waters responded.
Adrian didn’t respond to her thoughts; instead, he closed the telepathic link and sent out orders through his implant. The shuttle shuddered and took off, piloted remotely from Harbinger. It dropped down to the planet and towards one of the islands. Adrian took the time to look at the feeds from the outside as they dropped through the atmosphere. The vast Ocean covered the surface, its gray and muted water giving the planet a kind of bland look. Eventually he noticed land, a small island that was their destination. The shuttle lowered itself in the middle of the island. Adrian and Clear Waters exited the shuttle and walked a bit away and towards the beach as the shuttle doors closed and it flew away and back to its ship.
“How long do you think we will need to wait?” Adrian sent.
“They will send some of our tools first to investigate. Then they will come themselves not long after if they decide to talk,” Clear Waters responded.
“And if they decide to use the tools to attack us?” Adrian asked curiously. He wasn’t really worried; he might have been taking a risk, but he didn’t plan on dying. He was wearing a light assault suit with only a mask for air over his mouth, as the Sowir world’s air was thin. He had no weapons other than the mono-blades on his arms. But he himself was a weapon. He could hold out until rescue came, provided that the Sowir don’t bring any heavy weapons.
“The tools will not be a problem. I can take control of them once they are close. They have been made so that orders from the closest Sowir take priority,” Clear Waters sent.
Adrian turned back and studied the grayish water and bleak sky of the Sowir homeworld.
Lurker of the Depths and the rest of the twelve watched through the eyes of their tools as they surfaced onto the island. They saw one of their kind with one of the alien ungifted, standing there alone.
“It is a trap,” Dark Stream sent, just as they lost control of their tools. They could still see through their eyes, but no longer could they control their movements.
Lurker of the Depths felt disbelief and anger through the link coming from some of the others.
“They turned one of our own against us!” Sand Shard sent angrily, and others pulled by his emotions joined in his anger.
Lurker of the Depths watched through the eyes of his tools, studying the strange alien. It looked strangely like a Nel, only without their tails. “It is impossible for one of us to be turned; the Spirit binds us,” Lurker of the Depths added.
“Then they have found a way to force us to do their bidding. We should kill them now, before they shackle the rest of us!” Sand Shard sent.
“No.” For the first time in a long time, Lurker of the Depths used the full power of his abilities, drowning out the emotions of others. “Too much is wrong; their actions do not make sense. I want to know why they have done as they did. I will go and look into their minds myself.”
“And if you get turned as well?” Last Wave asked.
“Then there is no hope for any of you,” Lurker of the Depths said, and left the room.