Thursday: 07/01/2032: 10:30 am. Tûlso’hmírri Faârstan appears in the back yard and after a few moments, he knocks on the door. “Who’s that?” I see Tûli at the back door. “It’s not him in disguise, is it?” “No, Mason. A spell surrounds the house that prevents anyone from impersonating anyone else. It’s just our friend Tûli.” Mason and I open the door and let the Prince inside. “Good morning, Hraxi.” “Good morning, Ælura, Mason. Where’s Hoshako? I have something I need to give her.” “I’ll get her, Hraxi.” I go to my Forest room where Camilla is still asleep in our tent. “Cam, wake up.” “Huh?” She slowly opens her eyes, yawning big and sitting up. “What is it, Lindsay?” “Tûli is here with something he wants to give you.” “Ok. I’ll be out in a minute.” “Ok.” I go back downstairs while she gets ready. “I heard that the Empress, not Hoshako, is extremely unhappy with Ares’veron. She won’t be replacing the eight ships he sent to their destruction. No doubt he’ll be trying to boost his numbers of foot soldiers to compensate. I’ve heard that up to half a million more of those little demons are about to be spawned.” “How does he make them, Tûli?” “He clones them. The pus-filled boils are not just to make them look scary. The boils are filled with bacteria and viruses and are used to spread disease among the native populations of worlds he conquers.” “He must be having one bad week.” “Oh, he’s not a happy camper right now, that’s for sure.” Camilla comes downstairs. “Ah, Hoshako. Good morning.” “Good morning, Tûli. Is that my mother’s katana?” “Oî, Hoshako. I believe it’s time that I let you have it. There are people on Tanir who wish to meet you and acknowledge you as the rightful heir to the Solar Throne.” “This sword was made by Aurië?” “No, but she placed some of her power within it. Now it belongs to you.” Tûlso’hmírri hands the sword to Camilla, in whose hands it glows a bright gold. “Your mother would be so proud of you, Hoshako.” “She is, Tûli.” “Are the Taniris going to send someone, Hraxi?” “Yes. General Akagi will send someone for you later today, so be prepared.” “Would you like some coffee, Hraxi?” “I would love some coffee, but I have to go back to the Nightmare Hills to watch over my mother. Since the recent escape of Bír’angvin’zíra Rûdminnár, I wouldn’t be surprised if Sahra tightened security measures against any of the other Queens escaping or rebelling. Good luck, Hoshako, Ælura.” “Hgí’do, Hraxi.” “Hgí’w dimao, Ælura, Hoshako.” Tûlso’hmírri leaves and Camilla and I study her mother’s katana closely, noticing the mysterious glyphs etched into the blade, still glowing gold. “Did Aurië etch these symbols into it when she lived on Tanir?” “It looks like it.” “Hey, girls, what’s that?” “Yeah, isn’t that Tûli’s sword?” “Yeah. He just gave it to me. He said that it was time for me to have it.” “Also, he said that someone on Tanir will send for us later today.” “Some resistance forces?” “Yeah. Apparently, Ares’veron’s legal wife is one of the resistance leaders.” “Ain’t that something.” “I don’t even want to know what that wedding was like.” We stash the katana in my Forest room and eat some leftover chicken and rice casserole from Sunday night.
10:30 pm. We finish cleaning up from dinner and tune into Moon Forest when a knock comes at the back door. “That should be the Taniris sending for us.” I open it to reveal a teenage boy wearing blue and silver armor. Mason joins me at the back door as does Camilla. “Is Hoshako here?” “I’m Hoshako, Empress of Tanir.” “Then I’m not on the wrong planet. Take that, Kokatsu.” “Who?” “You’re Ma’hzíri’on Tenshi, aren’t you?! Marë, come here! It’s Ma’hzíri’on Tenshi!” Otome runs into the kitchen and embraces the boy. “Well, don’t just stand there in the night air, come on in!” Tenshi comes inside and hugs his aunt and cousin. “I’ve been sent by Mother to bring you to our base in Aoi Mori. She’s heard word of your escape from the enemy and is ready to launch a new offensive! Oh, I can’t believe it! The Akagi sisters will be together once more!” “Can my immortal friend and her partners come with me? They’re the ones responsible for the recent defeat of Ares’veron at Bellatrix 9. And her friend Tanner freed your aunt and cousin.” “Where is Tanner?! I must certainly thank him for making our offensive possible.” “I can summon my partners.” Taking my true form, I call my three partners to me, making Tenshi’s jaw drop to the floor and causing him to swoon, with Mason catching him. “I think you broke my cousin, Ælura.” After telling the rest of the family goodbye, Otome, Mason, Camilla with the katana, Tenshi, Spatium, Sidera, Verito, and I walk out towards the Bridge of Light, ready to go to Tanir and begin to turn the tide.
Stepping through the Bridge, we arrive in a forest filled with trees that glow with ghostly blue light, illuminating the night. “Soon I shall be with my sister once more and you, Mason, shall meet your aunt for the first time.” “Your aunt, cousin Ishiku, is the feared and revered General Akagi, second-in-command of the Resistance. Her very name strikes terror into Ares’veron’s demons.” “Who’s first-in-command, then?” “Follow me and you shall see.” We follow Tenshi through the Blue Forest until we reach a large house of branches surrounded by blue-trees surrounding an ethereal blue lake. Tenshi knocks on the door which is opened by a young woman wearing armor, her black and silver hair and wings glinting in the glow of the trees. “Yukan’na-denki! Big sister!” “Baby brother! You brought friends?” “Yes! Now, tell Mother and His Excellency.” The young woman flies up into the higher portions of the large house, which I notice is made of the thick trunks of dozens of very tall, luminous trees. She waves to someone inside and comes back down to us. Someone else comes to the door, a very tall, youngish Tolimani man with raven hair so long that it reaches down to his ankles. The right side of his face is covered by part of his hair, with a thin leather strap wrapping around his forehead. His long tail waves around his legs and his bare feet. “Welcome, Xi’ôrrani Ar’mõri’toli’i. You’ve brought the true Empress with you. Come on in.” We enter the house, and he leads us to the large atrium where a fire pit rests in the center, a roaring fire adding its light to the light of the trees. “You’re Mír’ti’minnár’s brother, aren’t you?” “I am General Dylan Numenë of the Blue Rangers of Tanir and second son of Queen Hmírri’iryë of Ïngyë. And you’re Hâl’zen’or’ë Hoshako?” “Yes. I am.” She shows him the katana, making everyone else in the room pause and observe its otherworldly golden aura. “The Imperial State Sword has returned to Tanir.” “The Empress has returned.” Then, a tall woman, decked in the same blue and silver armor as Tenshi, descends the staircase. “Mother.” “Tenshi.” “I’ve brought the Empress and” “Otome!” “Senshi!” Otome runs to her sister and embraces her tightly. “You’re free!” She then observes Mason-Ishiku. “You must be her son with my wretched husband.” “Mason-Ishiku Akagi, General.” He extends his hand to her, and she shakes it, if a bit nervously. Dylan walks over to Mason and immediately notices the latter’s long, braided, two-toned hair. “Yõ Otome’mäw’zuë saa’w?” “Ëi Otome’mäw’zuë ix Tenshi’ma’hzíri’on saa’x, Mason-Ishiku Akagi.” “Who are these others with the Empress?” “These are my Immortal friends, General Akagi. Feline Current, StarDust, True North, and Event Horizon. Event Horizon is the one who helped your sister and nephew escape Ares’veron’s castle.” “The black stallion. I must thank you, Event Horizon, for making possible our next move against the enemy.” “You’re welcome, General Akagi.” “Come. Meet the rest of our family.” Nine other young adults, much like Yukan’na-denki, approach us and Tenshi introduces us to them. “These are Yukan’na-denki’s nine full siblings, the children of the enemy and of a Taniri woman, now deceased: Kaiho-kinzoku, Kusatta-uku, U~iri-hi, Ono-denki, Araarashi-mokuzai, Saidai-kagayaki, Mottomo-hayai-kinzoku, Saikyo-chikyu, and Kokatsu-hi. General Akagi is their stepmother, naturally, but they all call her Mother as do I.” Aside from Yukan’na-denki, Kaiho is the only other one with a pair of powerful wings and a braided queue of raven hair drapes over his chest. “The Teeth of Sírso arrive!” A tall woman, with white wings and long, creamy tresses hanging from veritable Princess Leia buns, enters the atrium, carrying her long spear, followed by nine tall Tolimani women in armor. “That is Xi’ôrrana Sírsomari, leader of the Ra’hga’angvin’toli’ë’i, also called the Sírsomari’i, the Teeth of Sírso, and High Priestess of Sírso, who is the Tolimani goddess of wisdom and who punishes the wicked. They are also the daughters of Ares’veron and Rynaerë, though they’ve disowned them.” The woman acknowledges Dylan and General Akagi. “Panon. Marë.” She then faces Camilla. “Ya’hgí’wë Xirangi, Hoshako Rrù’zëm’aië Yudaina, Tanir’hâl’zen’or’ë ix Aurië’rrù’fëâr’hvang’fëâr’zuë. Welcome to Aoi Mori.” Camilla holds up the katana, at which Xi’ôrrana kneels before her, as do her nine full sisters: Qagir’lawi, the fiery, bearded redhead with the cat nose and long tail, Kleovorë, the golden beauty with the two shields on her arms, Zôrandi, the raven-haired wielder of electricity, Nāki, the one brunette with bluish mud in a horizontal stripe under her eyes, Iryëna, the pretty, icy cat with frost on her skin, Frëya, the silver warrior all covered in shining metal, Syldris, the lady of light with wings like their leader, Îs’hgara, the water witch with an iron mail net in her hands, and Hiryat, the cloudy gray baby of the group. All ten then rise back to their feet. “It’s a pleasure to meet you all.” “Mutual. But, just as great a pleasure is to see the General’s sister and nephew free of that vile Uuya’mäw’zuë Ares’veron, whose freedom will allow us to make a new offensive. General Numenë?” “Hgído, Xïdal’marë. Since the absolute destruction of Ares’veron’s sixth battle group at the Battle of Bellatrix 9, and with the knowledge that the Shadow Queen has denied him any further vessels, he is growing increasingly desperate to recoup his losses and renew his mission to destroy the new hyperdrives being built by Porrima-Hadar and General Durga for the new Xi’ôrrani battleships. To that end, and rather conveniently for him, 500,000 new Sanguine spawns are about to be decanted and put into service. We can’t allow that.” “No, we can’t, General Numenë. As such, the facility where they are about to be decanted is to be destroyed. Tonight. As far as I’m aware, he doesn’t know that we know about the escape. Word was brought to us by one Ronan and several other people when they arrived three days ago.” “Ronan? I know Ronan.” “You do, Event Horizon?” “Yes. He’s the first friend I made while spying on the enemy. Is there a Liko with him?” “Liko? I saw no one by that name when I processed their arrival.” “We’ll talk about that later, Event Horizon. Now, the facility in question is roughly ten kilometers north of the castle along the coast of the eastern sea. It is surrounded by two layers of battlements, which are reinforced with spells that are designed to destroy enemies on contact. Those must be brought down first. It’s a good thing that we have four Immortals who can bring down the walls. The 500,000 spawns will be decanted and commissioned in only three hours. That’s how much time we have left to destroy them before they become too much of a threat to civilians, most of whom are trapped in the cities.” “Now, we will form three teams. The first team: StarDust and Event Horizon will enter the facility proper and gain access to its most vulnerable area, the chamber where the 500,000 spawns are being grown and will kill them all through whatever means necessary. The second team: Feline and North will destroy the walls of the facility, allowing the third team, being everyone else, to storm the facility and send the little nuisances straight back to Uuya where they belong! Any questions?” “Yes, General. In fact, this sword, just given to me by Prince Tûlso’hmírri of Danar, can apparently remediate pollution of air, soil, and water. After the facility is destroyed, I wish to use its power to cleanse the area, to return the ground it’s on to its pre-conquest state, to prove to the people that the rightful Empress is alive and has returned to Tanir to cast out the tyrant.” “Then General Akagi will accompany and protect you, Majesty.”
11:00 pm. We go to the facility through a wormhole made by Spatium and upon arriving, we’re hit with the foul stench of Ares’veron’s pollution. Sidera and Spatium disappear and reappear inside the gestation chamber, at which they begin irradiating the soon-to-be-decanted spawns, killing them in their thousands. Verito and I approach the deadly walls and begin tearing them apart, setting off the building’s sirens and alarms.
An alarm begins blaring in Ares’veron’s castle, startling him out of a teleconference with Sahra Etraxia. “Bangômari! What’s going on?!” “It’s the Blue Rangers! They know about the escape!” “Then stop them, you idiot!”
The walls crumble from the force of my lightning bolts and the deadly spell on them follows. Sidera recalls her radiation and Spatium crushes the building under its own weight, hurling many of its stones off the cliffside and into the sea. Xi’ôrrana and all her full and half siblings proceed to storm the rubble, killing any surviving spawns in the area, with the final one being speared through the head by the High Priestess. With the area cleansed of the pustule-ridden demons, Camilla, accompanied by General Akagi, sticks the blade of the katana into the ground. The sword, imbued with some of Aurië’s power, glows bright gold and the ground shakes violently. Immediately, the soil, water, and air in the area is purged of all the environmental contamination, with the awful smell going away instantly and the natural beauty of the seaside returning for the first time in a generation.
11:30 pm. A demon who survived the destruction of the facility arrives at the castle, out of breath from running for miles. “What is it? What do you want, scum?!” “My lord! The facility has been destroyed! And all our brethren with it!” “What?!” “Your touch has been expelled from the surrounding area by the descendant of the mother of that old hag!” “Impossible!” “All 500,000 of our brethren were destroyed within the facility by the Immortal agents of the Xi’ôrrani!” “Then I will refoul the air there myself!” He takes his terror-bird form and flies north to the ruins of the facility, with a storm of foul-smelling orangey-green clouds following behind him.
We see and smell the approach of this stink storm and a hellish, cackling roar descends from the sky, followed by the hard landing of a large terror-vulture and a pair of platinum-blond, red-robed fraternal twins. “The air’s too clean here!” “Then why don’t you let one rip, brother! Shouldn’t be too hard for you!” “Oh, shut it, Rynaerë!” “Shut it, you two!” He takes his normal form. “If it isn’t Ares’veron and his hounds, come to sit and roll over.” “Still as obstinate as ever, Senshi huri’ë.” “Piece of human trash!” Rynaerë tries to rush General Akagi but is blocked by Camilla directing the blade of the katana at her, causing her to immediately slink back behind Ares’veron, hissing and screeching, prompting Rynaeron to pull hard on her hair out of annoyance, causing them both to rumble on the ground. “I pity you, Ares’veron, that you are cursed with such idiots for henchmen. I can only imagine you’ve had more intelligent pieces of pottery.” He turns around, kicks the twins, and holds them by the scruffs of their necks like dogs. “Oh, aren’t you so blessed, Senshi, that your sister and nephew are back in your fold, especially considering that you abandoned her to her fate?” Rynaerë notices Xi’ôrrana and her sisters. “Oh, aren’t you going to say hello to your parents, Rana?!” Xi’ôrrana has to hold back Qagir’lawi from rushing Rynaerë and Ares’veron. “The Generals are our real parents, you dogs!” “Where’s ol’ Dylan anyway? Where’s half-face hiding?” At that moment, a horse’s neighing interrupts the vile woman’s taunts and knocks her on her back, with one of its hooves landing on her face, leaving a nice horseshoe shaped impression on it. Atop that gigantic gray, dappled horse sits General Numenë and Rynaerë, dirty and screaming in agony, is lifted into her master’s arms where she immediately begins cursing at Dylan. “It apparently wasn’t enough for her to slash your face when you tried to kill me 26 years ago, was it, General Numenë? I still have your brother Mír’ti’minnár as my hostage, or have you forgotten after so long? Surrender, and I might release him to you.” “Without his eyes, maybe!” “Yeah, let me do it, Master! Let me do it!” Qagir’lawi unleashes a ball of flame at Rynaerë, with it landing in her face. “Go back to Uuya, you stinking mutt! You will never touch him again!” Qagir’lawi almost resembles a berserker at this stage, with the ground she’s standing on heating up and bursting into flames, which surround her entire body, frightening our enemies. Ares’veron, having had enough, picks up the twins by the scruffs of their necks, and disappears back to his castle. “Yeah! That’s right! Go back home and pray we punish you no further!” “Enough, Lawi, now calm down. Let’s go back home.” Prompted by Dylan, she cools down and we make the return journey to Dylan’s house.
Friday: 07/02/2032. 12:00 am. We arrive back in the courtyard of the great house to cheering crowds of Taniri people, who, upon seeing Camilla and the sword, begin blessing her, shouting “Hoshako, Hoshako!” General Akagi allows them to approach Camilla, whereupon they shower her with gifts of food and other handmade treasures. I take note of the blue-trees. Their trunks are grayish brown, tinted with blue and flecks of silver. The fruit are blue and round and the leaves are green on top with blue undersides and the flowers, like passion flowers, are bright silver and emit a silver-white light at night. Dylan is greeted by a handsome Tolimani man who kisses him long and good and gently strokes the little bob of hair on the end of the former’s tail. “Success, my love?” “Success, Theodorëo. Let’s feast!” “But first, we must give thanks to Sírso, fathers.” “Of course, fëâr’zuë.” Xi’ôrrana and her nine full sisters arrange themselves in a circle, dancing wildly, giving thanks to the goddess Sírso and honoring Camilla as the rightful Empress of Tanir. With the sisters’ dance finishing, the crowd parts for an old woman with raven hair and silver eyes. “Hikari Yudaina, Grand Empress Dowager of Tanir and one of the children of the wandering spirit Aurië. Your great-grandmother, Hoshako.” Camilla nervously approaches the Dowager. “You look just like my little granddaughter Daitan’na when she was your age. When I heard that she was killed like her mother, my precious Kohei, I lost hope and resigned myself to the shrine on the island in the heart of the sacred lake, praying to the gods for a swift resolution to our troubles. It wasn’t until much later that I heard that Daitan’na had borne a child on the planet Earth with one of its people that I came out of my seclusion and have been living with the Generals and their adoptive children ever since.” The Dowager appears to be at least 100 years old, but she seems more vital, possibly owing to her being half-Other, as well as the fact that her hair is as dark, smooth, and shiny as it was when she was in her prime. Her eyes reflect the light of the blue-trees as does her hair. “After Ares’veron killed my father, I thought I had no more living family. I’m currently living with an Immortal agent of the planet Earth. She and her friends helped us destroy the facility tonight.” “Where the 500,000 demons were gestating. I heard the explosions and saw the storm cloud going north. I also heard the flash of light that accompanied your cleansing of the region with my mother’s power. I see you’ve brought the sword home. Let’s go inside to feast in Hoshako’s honor!” Hikari and Camilla hold up the katana and everyone cheers as we go back inside the house’s atrium and gather around the fire pit where vast quantities of meat, fruits, vegetables, and sweets are passed around to everyone. And we all eat our fill.
12:30 am. “Why is the Blue Forest, Dylan?” “Long ago, a beautiful blue stone fell from the sky and landed in a pool of water and over millions of years, the trees of the Blue Forest grew from it and it is now thousands of square miles in area. It is also surrounded by a barrier that denies evil entry. Therefore, many fled to it hoping to escape Ares’ rule. Of course, not everybody can make the journey safely, but that hasn’t stopped a bold few.” A blue stone? Where have I heard of a blue stone before? “The Taniri people believe that their gods created the Blue Forest as a refuge for their people during times of need.” With everyone exhausted and having eaten their fill, we start going to bed, with Dylan, Theodorëo, Hikari, and the Sírsomari sisters sleeping high in the upper branches of the house’s blue-trees, the ten half-Tolimani Akagis sleeping in the atrium, Mason and Otome sleeping next to Senshi and Tenshi, the Park brothers by the fire pit, and Sidera, Camilla, and I underneath the light of the trees.
7:30 am. We are woken up by Yukan’na-denki jumping off the roof and the thrust from her wings surprising us. “Good morning, Ya’hgí’wë Xirangi. Ar’mõri’toli’ë’i, good morning.” “Good morning, Yukan’na-denki.” “Tenshi wishes to invite you all to swim in the sacred lake before breakfast.” “Swim?” “Oî, Ya’hgí’wë Xirangi. He’s around the back of the house.” “Looks like you’ve got a boyfriend, Your Majesty.” Camilla sticks her tongue out at me and blows a raspberry and I start laughing as we stand up and follow Yukan’na-denki around to the back of the house. Tenshi stands there. “Good morning, Hoshako.” “Good morning, Tenshi.” We follow him down a bluish-gray stone path through the trees to the shore of the lake, its water glowing dimly with blue light. Light from what may be the lost heart of Alÿran. “The water is so clear that when you go under, you can see very far, Your Majesty.” I look up at the top of the house where I see General Akagi looking down at us from the upper levels. “Good morning, General.” “Good morning, Ar’mõri’toli’ë.” We follow him into the lake, and the water is indeed clearer than any other natural water I’ve been in, except maybe for the Lake of Light on Xilanti. Going further, I can see all the way to the center of the lake, and I feel no need to come up for air, like it’s feeding me through my skin. All the way to where the long-lost heart of the Queen of the old gods lays, having found its new home after drifting through space for billions of years. Drawing closer to the light, I can see a large cluster of long, luminous crystals, looking suspiciously like quartz. I touch one of the crystals and I immediately have a vision of a golden hand tearing a blue stone from her chest and the surroundings turning corrupt, at which point the vision ends. The beginning of the Horror. I swim back up to the surface where the Grand Empress Dowager looks at me knowingly. “I see you’ve found her new home, Ælura. She made it so that no evil may ever draw near her essence again. And I never needed to come up for air, either.” “You would be down there, Your Majesty?” “For days at a time during my years of seclusion before I heard about your friend Camilla. I look forward to a time when our castle by the sea is no longer defiled with dark magic.”
9:00 am. After breakfast and saying goodbye to our new friends, Otome, Mason, Spatium, Verito, Sidera, Camilla, and I return to Earth, with the four of us going to report to the President the results of our mission. After we get back home, I return to my Forest room where Camilla is laying on her stomach beneath my apple tree, drawing an image of Akarui-Tenshi. “So, you do like him, Cam?” “Ok, I like him a little bit, but I know you like Virgil! Have you two kissed?” “No. We did joke around in the woods once back in the spring, but we haven’t even so much as held hands, much less kissed. Why? Did the General’s son show you a ring while we were in the lake?” “No. Besides, we were all preoccupied with the fact that we didn’t have to come up for air.” “How long were we down there?” “I don’t know. It could’ve been something like an hour. It’s like the water in that lake feeds you through your skin.” “Your great-grandma said that she would be down there in the water for days at a time before she learned you were born.” “Is it because of the heart of Alÿran, Lindsay? They said it was lost for ages.” “Dylan said that a blue stone fell from space millions of years ago and landed in a pool of water where it began altering the surrounding landscape and biosphere.” “He said that it doesn’t allow evil things to enter the Blue Forest, making it the perfect, unassailable headquarters for the resistance forces as well as the perfect escape for refugees fleeing invasion.” “But you like him, don’t you?” “I do hope we see each other again soon, Lindsay.”
10:30 am. Tenshi is meditating in the back garden of the great blue-tree house when General Akagi approaches him silently. “Did you enjoy your swim with the young Empress?” “I did, Mother. She was amazed by how the light allowed her to breathe without coming up for air.” “Do you like her?” “Of course, I like her, Mother. She’s our true sovereign and the one who will cast out the devil Ares’veron and his demons from our lands and make our people whole again.” “I know that you’ve dreamt of being her consort ever since we learned of her existence from Hikari, but you both are still quite young, Tenshi. And, we still have a war to fight. On Tanir Prime, and II and III and IV.” “I know, Mother. But it must have been amazing to see her cleanse the ground where that unholy factory was, wasn’t it, Mother?” “It was, Tenshi. I never thought I’d see the sacred sword be wielded against evil in this life.”
12:00 pm. Ares’veron is back on the phone with the Dark Tree regarding the 500,000 demons. Nervously, he makes up a story. “They were decanted and put into service as planned, Mother. All 500,000 of them.” “Really, Bangômari? Show me.” Still very nervous, he places a random, pustule-ridden orc in front of the monitor. “That’s it?” “That’s just one of them, Majesty. They take up so much space that I can’t fit them all into the camera’s view.” He shows her a crowd of thousands of the same demons as before, his cheeks flushing almost purple from sheer anxiety. “Very well, Ares’veron. For once this week, you’ve actually succeeded at something you were told to do, but don’t get too confident. You’ve still got some ships to build. Better ones.” “I will build better ships, Mother. I promise you that.” “I’ll hold you to it, Bangômari. Good day.” She hangs up and he rushes to his balcony to hurl his stomach contents, which cascade down the height of the tower until they land on some of the foot soldiers. “Why’d you lie, Master?” “I can’t tell her I lost them; she’d unseat me and replace me with that Tigrisi scum witch! I’d rather blow this whole star system to oblivion than hand it over! II, III, and IV!” “What’ll we do, Master?! They can attack us now!” “We still have Mír’ti’minnár of Ïngyë as our prisoner, and the Ar’vëla’hâlor’ë has their mother.” “But that still doesn’t solve the question of how to keep our factories safe!” “Maybe start making them on II, III, and IV instead! They can’t go to those planets, can they, Master?” “I’ve never heard of any rebellions on the other three worlds in this system, Rynaerë. Perhaps you and Rynaeron aren’t as stupid as you both seem.” “They don’t have that stupid blue forest, that’s for sure. It’s perfect! We’ll let them think that we’re retreating, then BANG! We’ll bomb this whole planet from space and kill them all when they come out of hiding!” “Well done, mistress! Rynaeron!” “Yes, Master!” “Tell the fleet to withdraw to the other three planets in this system and begin producing our soldiers there. Let them think they’ve won. Then, they’ll know the true wrath of Bangômari.” Immediately, the fleet withdraws to the other three worlds of the Tanir system and commences construction of cloning factories on their surfaces.
Previous Episode: War is a Cruel Master.
Next Episode: The Great Escape.
