I swallow, parched as hell. A large glass of red wine would do the trick, but we went through the bottles last season. No, there’s nothing here to settle my nerves.
They are right. We need to leave.
I capitulate to their reason.
“Okay,” I mutter, nerves twisting. “We’ll leave, but I’m not going back to Ubara. Vraik, do not hold back. What is your full assessment?”
He leans against the control panel. Near the hologram of the strange blue planet, he says, “Well, I’ve got a feeling the empire won’t welcome us back with open arms without their precious element in hand. They will deny us access into the atmosphere, as they’ve done to countless others who have deflected. If we are forced into battle, the sentinels will easily force us into submission. They will treat us like we treat these slaves.”
Rekker stands, cape whipping around his ankles. He wants to go home. He actually thinks it’s a smart idea.
Well, I have a better idea.
As he attempts to leave the room, I block him with one arm. “Rekker, we have to come together on an escape plan,” I say.
He raises a brow. I point at the hologram. I try to explain what’s been on my mind in a way that’ll persuade him to trust me one last time.
“There’s no escaping. Slain owns most of the cosmos. We can run, but we can’t hide forever,” he says.
Rekker is a tough nut to crack. It’s much easier to convince Vraik, but as any diplomat can understand, you have to chip away at the harder personalities first.
We gaze at the screen.
Curiosity takes over. I can hardly conceal my excitement. This planet differs from any of the others we’ve found.
This one has life. A civilization. And I will persuade them we need to invade it.
For glory. For Resnyx. For human cunt.
We will find us a bride we can breed...
“What is its name?” Rekker asks.
“Earth,” I whisper, hungry for what that blue celestial body has inside it.
Planets with life are the only ones worth searching. Slain knows this, but he believes he can find the Resnyx elsewhere.
He is wrong. If we want to find the Resnyx, we have to go where life exists. Once we get it, we’ll have everything we ever needed.
We will be the ones in charge…
Vraik hits a button on the console, zooming into Earth’s outer atmosphere. He hits it again to see a blurry, but contained image of a large, bustling city. It’s an image one might see in the history archives of lost civilizations.
It’s perfect.
“It’s not safe,” Vraik says. “They will have many armies on stand-by.”
I try not to laugh. “They are not yet a united planet,” I say. “Their armies
are not well coordinated, nor are they led with cunning, alien genius. An invasion could easily crush their infrastructure.”
“Hm,” Rekker purrs.
I continue. “It will be easy to mine their resources. We can handle it ourselves. Our workers can rest here for a couple of days. It’s a win-win.”
Rekker nods. “What if we get there, and we can’t find it?”
I’ve been waiting to make this call for a while, but I’m shocked by their expressions. They appear ready.