The time has come. After three hours of last-minute preparations, all Hives report condition "green." 

The Empress and her staff are coordinating this mission. We, the staff of the Huntress, are simply following her orders like any other Hive. During the Hive-wide mission-briefing-broadcast, which we just attended, it quickly became clear that the Empress had made a few changes to our original proposal.

Each Hive has already launched 30 interceptors, with designation Wave1. They are currently standing-by for departure to Kakross space.

Wave2, consisting of another 20, will be launched in the next 10 or so minutes. Wave2 is supported by a total of 15 recently-built escorts who will draw the attention of enemy Vipers and disable them with manually operated turrets, to avoid AI targeting issues due to possible EM- interference. You may guess once who proposed that EM-part...yep, I did. Each escort is capable of launching another 10 interceptors, immediately upon arrival.

Wave3, consisting of another 20 interceptors per Hive, will launch after Wave1 and Wave2 have departed. Wave3 will stay right here, ready to defend Vahli Prime.

I have to explain one thing first..while we do have more interceptors ready for use, we are limited by the number of available pilots. And training them....just takes longer than building an interceptor. The same applies to escorts, which need a complete crew to function properly. And many of those crews will remain here...to defend Vahli Prime.

 

There are now 73 Hives gathered at Vahli Prime, so you will surely get the general idea of how crowded space around us currently is. Of course the Hives are protected by 87 escorts. This is all that remains of the Vahli fleet after recent losses. 

Due to high-priority productions, focused on the war effort, each Hive now has at least one escort. Most Hives already had one, but building so many escorts in such a short time span is a miracle in itself. 

Of course that fast construction effort came at a cost...most escorts are not going anywhere. As an example, there simply weren't enough components to form fully functioning engines. The priorities for the escort construction as ordered by the Empress were: maximum hull and functioning turrets. Everything else was a bonus. So simply put, many escorts are easy targets, but they are still armed to the teeth. 

I guess we don't have a choice with those escorts. Every single one helps our effort. And the Hives must be protected at all costs.

Wave1 will use MarkII missiles. These missiles are not the same as the ones previously used, no no no....these are the ones specifically constructed for this mission. Their warheads carry double the amount of antimatter, therefore requiring a substantial increase in missile size. The only downside of this is that each interceptor can only carry 2 instead of 3 missiles.

And of course the fact that we used all the available antimatter in the fleet, results in the fact that our ships won't be able to refuel for a while.  So it's a bit of a risk the Empress is taking today.

Wave2 and Wave3 will use the more standard MarkI missiles, allowing interceptors to carry 3 of them in their bays.

Our crisis team is currently gathered in the throne room of the Huntress. A ship that won't be going anywhere due to its damaged engines. The General refers to this room as the "war room" for now....it has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? 

I am currently reviewing the Empress's strategy with our team. Gathered around me are General Ekir, Commander Spinak, Queen Miwa, my retainer Aine and Miwa's retainer Orho. I asked Aine to help keep Orho out of our way as she's still a bit inexperienced. We can't use any distractions for this.

It pains me to admit that my friends, Chiri, Kira and Ghan are out there....fighting whatever pissed off Kakross might remain from our initial attack. They are assigned to Wave3.

"Ouch." My leg still hurts, but I raise my hand, "It's okay...it still hurts a bit."

"Alright, one last time. Let's review the strategy." I said, while looking at everyone involved. 

"We have launched Wave1 and they are standing by with MarkII missiles. Wave2 is almost ready to be launched with MarkIs. Same for Wave3, but they won't launch for another thirty minutes. We have 5 NavScan units deployed....here...here....here...here....and...here."  I point at their locations on a map of our region.

I see everyone nod. I'm just glad that the concept of minutes is somehow translated to them. I still need to get some kind of proper translation for days...but not now.

I look at the map and the Kakross home world is shown to my left, our home world is shown all the way to the right.
Between them is 8.7 light years of space. That's not much.....the Kakross are too close for our continued survival. A jump to their home world from our current location is calculated to take about 1.7 hours. 

This is also one of our weaknesses. Interceptors which are very close to the escorts can share the "hyperspace window" with the escort, thus enabling them to arrive within the hour. The others simply need to jump on their own and therefore need multiple jumps. This means that the escorts need to coordinate their jumps with the interceptors, so they move as a single group. 

"Our NavScan units are already deployed around the Kakross, so we can obtain a near-real time overview of the battle. We have 10 escorts between them and us, functioning as relays to get the sensor data to us.  All of these will only start transmitting data in 1 hour, to avoid detection by the Kakross. 

Our Hive-busters, or destroyers as our Empress prefers to call them, are already deployed close to the Kakross home world. They are not remote controlled, but are programmed to jump and detonate on impact. Each one carries vast amounts of highly explosive antimatter. Their target.....is the planet itself. 

A simultaneous attack will commence by 4 destroyers, each from a separate location, hopefully hitting the planet from 4 different angles, to ensure maximum destruction. They will jump in a few minutes, with arrival estimated right after our NavScans will start sending telemetry. This means that we should be able to witness the moment of total and complete devastation.

We will be launching Wave1 any minute now. Their arrival will be about 30 to 40 minutes after the presumed destruction of the Kakross homeworld, to avoid being caught in the vast radiation field caused by the massive antimatter explosions. 
At this point we expect to lose telemetry due to high EM-interference. Wave1 will stop close to a Navscan unit and get a last minute update of targets. They then immediately continue to jump and will arrive at a point far from the planet, due to unknown debris.

They will then start charging their jump drives, Turbo to any intact Kakross capital ship, and take them out. Immediately after depleting their missile payload, they will jump out of there. After jumping to safety, 50% will protect their assigned NavScan units or relay-escorts, the others will prepare to join Wave2. The secondary objective, for all units, is to restore telemetry to us here, if that is even possible.

Wave2 will launch 15 minutes after Wave1, allowing for the radiation caused by Wave1 to dissipate. Wave2 will clean the Kakross system from any stragglers, mainly focussing on any remaining Hives.

At this point 50% of Wave1 will join Wave2 to assist in cleaning the system. As already mentioned, the other 50% will stay with the NavScans and escorts.

At this point....we hope that the telemetry is restored and the fleet can be ordered to return home.

Any questions so far?"

"No, Akari, but I have an update. Just a few seconds ago the Empress has ordered Wave1 to depart...and they are now on their way."

"Thank you, General. Now let's cross our fingers." I actually crossed them, until I saw a few confused looks. "Nevermind that, it's just an Earth saying for luck."

"Ah...in that case...we have something similar as well."

The males in this room make the 2 feelers on top of their heads hit each other, they then move like a metronome. It would actually be funny, if we weren't in this situation. So I just ignored this phenomenon with a confused look of my own. I'm already happy that they didn't show their teeth, that gives me the creeps! A..pfpf.....speaking of teeth....another one just came out of my mouth. Speak of the devil. This can't be a coincidence anymore. Whatever, now is not the time!

"Mother....what should we do now?" Miwa asks carefully.

"Now? Now we can only wait and hope that our friends are victorious. It will take some time for our NavScan units to send back some telemetry."

 

An hour passed as if it were a year. Believe me...pacing is something our both races have in common. Aine didn't mind that I just had my waffles the old fashioned way, so did the others. 

Orho was about to feed Miwa, but I can really do without that picture now. So every one of us is munching on waffles and drinking that liquid. Tell me what you want, but this is way more delicious. I just hope it won't be our last meal.

There is always the element of surprise, something you didn't anticipate. The Kakross could be launching an attack of their own right now. I admit, it's highly unlikely, but not impossible. Let's just hope they don't.

 

"<BEEP> Telemetry received."  I asked to use my Fuku as the AI-unit in this room for this mission. I don't want to start pushing buttons, I want someone to speak to and preferably someone who can almost read my mind. And Fuku would be able to do that, literally, but we are not in an interceptor. But she still knows how I think and react, so she's basically another friend. A very fast thinking friend. 
She will return to my interceptor after this mission. I miss her, maybe I should....whatever, not now Akari!

"Fuku, show us the planet."

"On screen now."

We see a long range scan of the Kakross home world, mostly statistics and radar images. There is some static every few seconds...must be due to the distance.

There are many, many Hives orbiting that world. Many more than I had thought. I hope that our destroyers will get through those. 

We also see a long range visual image of the planet itself. It's a dark brown and green world. Well, that's about all I can see from that range.

"Fuku, any indications of enemy movements to the NavScans?"

"Negative, our units have not yet been detected."

Perhaps our coating works well from this range. But it won't take them long to trace the signals to our units. 

"Fuku, ETA for our destroyers?"

"ETA is 4 minutes."

"The suspension is...terrible."  The Commander said while massaging his forehead. 

"Yes, it is. The fate of an entire species, and our own as well will be determined in the next 3 minutes." The General said.

"There!" I shouted.   I see one flash directly in orbit above the planet. It's a typical hyperdrive exit point.

Fuku then says "Detecting 4 hyperspace windows at the correct locations. Confirming, 4 destroyers exiting."

We see the destroyers flashing into normal space and from this angle I can only see 2 destroyers heading towards the planet. One has entered the atmosphere, the other crashed into one of their Hives. 

"Crap! That one missed." I said.

"Yes, that was to be expected. We only need one to succeed." The General said.

"Fuku, what happened to the others?"

"Processing...confirming three destroyers made planetfall. Expecting detonation....in 3....2...1....now..."

Fuku showed us a split image. The planet is now seen from four different angles.

Nothing happened....for two excruciating long seconds...but then...

A massive detonation could be seen from all angles. The image is completely white, nothing can be seen at all. 

"Confirming detonation as planned." Fuku said what was already obvious to us all. 

"Scanning....long range sensors confirm planet destruction is successful. Waiting for visual confirmation."

Oh my god...this is so....insanely stressful.

"Scan complete. Visuals restored."

We now see a destroyed planet. A few huge chunks of the former planet are drifting into space, but the planet itself is mostly intact. Yellowish colors can be seen...probably molten rock. Even so...nothing could have survived that....right?

"Fuku...did...didn't it work?" I asked.

"Scanning....long range scans confirm the planet has lost its atmosphere. Close range scans are needed to verify lifesigns."

"Crap...Fuku, what about the Hives? Are they still there?"  I can't see them anymore.

"Long range scans show that 23 Hives were destroyed due to the highly localized explosion. Most of the detonation seems to have been deflected outwards into space. Another 12 Hives are still near the planet, 2 are changing course. Extrapolating course.....Vahli homeworld."

"Fuck no.....THEY'RE COMING! Call the Empress, NOW!" I shouted.

The General ran to the comm panel and informed the Empress. All of our assets are now switching from yellow alert to red alert. This means ALL remaining fighters will be launched with whatever we have left of missiles. Wave2 has already left, so we won't be able to stop them.

"Fuku, when will Wave1 arrive there?"

"Calculating...last contact with Wave1 was five minutes ago. They received a status update and have corrected their coordinates. New jump point will be closer to the planet. Expecting arrival in....3 minutes."

"Fuku, how is that possible? Shouldn't they only arrive in another 20 minutes?"

"Affirmative. Assuming external causes. High amounts of antimatter radiation in the region and antimatter in the interceptor bays might be responsible. Insufficient data."

"Okay...whatever. I'll gladly take it. Fuku, is the radiation an issue for our pilots?"

"Sensor data lost. Radiation and EM-interference has reached NavScan units. Time to regain sensor efficiency is estimated at....50 minutes."

"Oh my god....I hope they will be fine." 

"Akari...it is out of our hands now. We did all we could. Now...we must wait." The Commander is trying to calm me down. It's not working...I'm shivering from an overload of adrenaline.

I walk to the window in this room and just stare into outer space. I see our planet below. How long will it be like this? Will today be our last day? Do the Kakross have similar plans for us? My god, I'm tired, pissed off, nervous and shaking. I hate this day. And my leg hurts too.

I take a toilet break and wait with the others for the sensor data to be restored. We don't know what will happen...we can only wait.

 

Then, after more or less 50 minutes...one NavScan unit starts transmitting telemetry again.

"Akari, telemetry restored."

All of us rush back to the table and try to get an idea of the situation.

"Scanning region. 4 Navscans are operational. Fifth is not responding, assuming asset loss. Relays are stable. There is massive debris in the area. 

Reporting enemy status. Confirmed no enemy Hive ships remaining in Kakross space. 1278 enemy Vipers operational. 28 unidentified enemy units detected....temporarily classified as enemy escort craft.

Reporting friendly status. 12 friendly escorts remaining. Heavy friendly casualties in wave2, remaining 46%. Wave1 has rejoined the warzone. Searching....tapping into nearby sensors... Planet situation....no survivors. Planet will never be able to sustain life again."

"Fuku, what about the enemy Hives? Are there any heading for us here?"

"Searching...no assets in Kakross space show enemy Hive movements. Tapping into closest assets. Escort175's sensors confirm two hyperspace tunnels heading directly to this location. Mass consistent with a Hive's."

"General..."

"Already on it."

"Fuku...how long before the enemy is purged from their planetary system?"

"Scanning...estimating 3.7 hours for all vessels to be destroyed......standby......receiving new orders.

The Empress has recalled the entire fleet to Vahli Prime."

"No!!! We need those NavScans!" I shout. 

"Yes, Akari, the Empress knows that as well. Let's assume she has plans."

"Alright, Commander...this is it. They're coming here now. Deploy anything that can shoot." I said.

"Yes, Akari. We will launch the remaining interceptors now. We could use....more pilots though." The Commander said.

"Mother no.....don't!" Miwa starts crying.

"Akari, as ordered by the Empress. You shall not set foot into an interceptor. It is my task to remind you of her orders." The General said in a cold tone of voice.

"But, General! Don't you think...."

"No. And those orders are final. Unless you want to disobey her and commit an act of mutiny."

"WHAT? How the hell is that even supposed to be mutiny? I can help save your butts out there!"

"Akari..I will order our guards to hold you if you continue."

"So...no choice then, huh?" I took a deep breath. In and out...in and out. Relax...

"No choice. Akari, we need you here. Have faith in our defense teams. We toughened up quite a bit since you introduced those....unconventional tactics." 

"I....I guess so. Alright General, I will stand down."  A tear left my left eye...no I'm not crying! It's just the stress!

"Very good. Let me be frank. Your attitude is admirable, and very much appreciated. But now is not the time for you to fight. THINK Akari, THINK how we can get out of this mess." The General made it sound so simple!

"THINK? Ha ha ha? We are way past thinking, General." I hit the table with my fists. 

Miwa and Aine seem surprised about my rage. Well, they haven't seen anything yet.

I shake my head, trying to focus....clear my mind..  I walk to the window and back.
THINK AKARI. What would you do if this was just a game? Did I play this scenario? THINK!

"The only thing I can think of...is luring them all here. And maybe.......tell me, Commander.
What happens when you fire on a ship which just emerges from hyperspace?"

"That...that.....well. First and foremost, you never know where they will exactly exit. But if...." and the Commander starts smiling.  "But if....you would fire at that point....you would...theoretically at least....collapse the exit point. You would effectively create a massive wall. And you know what happens when you hit a wall, don't you?"

"Yeah....that hurts." 

The Commander looks at the General now.

"Exactly. General, please order all assets here to take positions....right here." He shows one side of the planet. Somewhere along that line the enemy will arrive. "Stack them on top of each other if you have to. Make it look like a huge wall."

 "Launch all Navscans from all Hives. Let their AI-units fly if you don't have the pilots. Have them create the best sensor resolution grid ever from this region. Scan every cubic millimeter of space and the moment they detect a hyperspace exit point, have the NavScan AI-units order the interceptor AI-units to commence firing at that position." The Commander added.

"Now THAT sounds like a plan. Excuse me." And the General ran away again. There was a sparkle of hope in those blue eyes of his.

"Aren't you glad that you remained in this room, Akari? We never would have thought about this."

I mumble..."It's just like a game. Amazing."

"What was that?" The Commander asks.

"Nothing. Ah look...." I point outside. The ships are already repositioning themselves.

I can see it with my own eyes, or I wouldn't believe it.....a wall....a massive wall of interceptors and escorts, all at close proximity to each other.

The General returned. "The order has been given. Their weapons have switched to long range lasers. Meaning maximum range in 1 or 2 concentrated bursts."

"This may actually work." The Commander said, smiling.

"Fuku...how long...."

But she already replied "exit tunnels are forming....and are within expected range."

You wouldn't believe your eyes if you weren't here. Lasers....fireworks....one massive planetary shield is protecting our home. And the enemy? Squat like a bug on the windshield. Sofar none have breached our defense line. I can only assume that those were the two enemy Hives, but the others must be some Vipers. 

"Akari, all our assets from the Kakross region are jumping home. They will arrive right after the enemy Hives do. May I suggest not deploying the shield against them?"

A few more Hives or those unknown escorts seem to have escaped...heading this way as well.

"Crap...I forgot about those...Commander!"

"Akari, there is nothing we can do. We can't contact those units while they're in hyperspace."

"Alright..then try to identify who's who."

Fuku says "calculating...complete."

"Fuku, transmit the target information to our units here. Tell them who's who."

"Affirmative. Updating their targeting systems.  Done."

"My god.....pfew..."  I sat down in a chair.

"Akari....you keep amazing me." Aine said. She has not even once interrupted me here.

"Aine, the game is not over yet. But I hope your faith in me is justified."

"Well said." said the Commander.

"Next wave of Enemy ships.....36 minutes. Sending update to fleet. Done." Fuku said.

"Thank you Fuku, you are amazing as well!"

"Thank you, Akari. Thank you for being my friend" Fuku said.

Oh...that's...a bit creepy. She's an AI....what if she didn't like me.....let's not go there.

"Yes, we are friends Fuku. All of us. I'll be sure to mention your name when this is over. But we have to play this game a little bit longer."

"Of course." Fuku says matter of factly.

We discuss a few "what-if" scenarios while we wait for the enemy forces to arrive. One of those discussions is interrupted by Fuku.

"Akari, I am receiving a faint transmission from one of our escorts. They are only now coming into communications range. Do you wish to open the channel?"

"By all means..open it!"  I said, while shaking my head. 

"Control, this is Escort1645."

"Escort1645, this is Queen Akari at Vahli Prime. Your signal is too weak for Control. What message can I relay for you?"

"Queen Akari, finally! This is Commander Varu. What happened? We were unable to contact any relay."

"Yes, Commander. Any and all assets have been recalled to Vahli Prime. Our home will be under attack in about 15 minutes. Expect communications blackouts soon."

"Copy that. But we won't be there in time to assist."

"Understood. Tell me, how are you able to speak to us from that distance?"

"We have <ssssshssshsh>  communications with other escorts who have exited hyperspace to get a quick update like we did. They are relaying this. But time is short, they will depart in 2 minutes."

"Alright, Commander. Do you have any last minute information we can use to defend Vahli Prime?"

"Yes, we were following an exceptionally large Hiveship of unknown design. It was headed to Vahli Prime. It was already heavily damaged, so we were lucky to completely disable it. After our marines boarded it.....we captured their Empress!"

"You...what? You were not supposed to...whatever. Get her to my Hive as soon as possible. I will inform our Empress that we can use her as a bargaining chip."

"Eh..a what?"

"Nevermind...you guys get here quickly and safely!"

"Yes, Queen Aka....shhhhhhhhhh"

"Communication lost." Fuku said. 

"They captured their Empress....what do you say about that?" The Commander said, grinning.

"Well, they showed initiative alright, but let's wait until debriefing. They must have known she was aboard, or why else risk your marines? And why not just blow it up?" The General is confused...orders are orders...so why did they decide to board the enemy ship?

"Honestly, General....I have no idea why, and it doesn't matter at the moment. But consider us lucky that they did. This might be just the thing we need. If we can convince their Empress to stand down...we might prevent many attacks in the coming days." I said.

"Yes...but..." the Commander wanted to give his opinion, but I raised my hand. We don't have time for this.

"Sorry, Commander, there is no time for this. General, update our Empress....we may have a present for her. Tell her that we will detain the Empress here. Oh...and make sure to check for any enemy ships tailing that escort. I have a feeling that they won't be surrendering their Empress that quickly."

"Mmmm..I see your point. I will brief our Empress and request that our forces will watch for enemy ships on their six."  

Huh? The General is using terms I used during my flight training days. I like it, so I smiled at him.

"Alright, please proceed, General." 

"Attention...second enemy wave approaching. Multiple exit points detected. Warning multiple points are out of range."

Another fireworks session started outside our window. Many explosions could be seen...enemies who didn't make it out of hyperspace in one piece.

"Copy that Fuku. Make sure to send up to date targeting data to the fleet. We don't want to shoot our friends."

"Of course, it's already done."

"Fuku, how many friendly ships?"

"Scanning. Wave1 and Wave2 will arrive in 3.9 minutes. Recommending change of strategy. Break formation and fire at will."

I wanted to speak but the General already said "I agree Fuku, I will contact the Empress now. Have our interceptors break formation already."

"Confirming....your command has been relayed." Fuku said. 

I can already see many ships breaking formation and they are heading for the enemy Hives who entered our region far from Vahli Prime.

"Alright, I contacted the Empress. She agrees as well and has given the order to break formation."

We stare outside for a few seconds and then see all the ships breaking formation. They each have their own targets to follow. 

"Fuku, give us a visual update of the region around us."

A visual display now shows our planet in the center and eleven enemy Hive Ships approaching it rapidly. 

"Status update, massive friendly and enemy jamming signals detected. Communications are limited. Switching to automated relaying of light communications. 

Scanning region of space...map updated. Multiple exit points detected. Confirmed friendly craft. Updating sensor data.....382 interceptors, 1 escort. Adding units into the sensor grid....done...

Receiving damage reports, lost unit reports, recovered ejected pilots....ignoring.     Akari....they won't be able to assist in the defense, they have sustained damage or are out of ammunition."

"Copy that. Tell them that Queen Akari orders them to hold positions until further notice."

"Done."

I can see the ships stopping at their locations. Bad luck...but I won't send them to their deaths if they can't even fight. 

"Oh no no no....is that all that returned home?" Aine said. She put her hand over her mouth...she didn't want to say that.

"Yes, Aine...it seems we lost many units....no....we lost many good people. But the day has not ended yet. There's still hope." I said.

Aine only nods.

 

Then, after another ten agonizing minutes...
"Jamming signals disabled." Fuku gave a quick update.

"So...it's over? Are we still alive?" I asked. The others don't seem to realize either. It seems we get to live another day!

Suddenly the Empress addresses the fleet, with a big smile on her face.

"To all Vahli wherever you may be. We have successfully defended our homeworld from a Kakross attack! Yes, we are sad to acknowledge the loss of many Vahli lives. But our improved missile technology has proven today that we can fight back. And.....over 3 billion Kakross lives have ended today by our hands. We take full responsibility for this and shall not rest until our family has returned home. We shall speak to you soon."

The Empress then shows up again on our view screen in our war room. This message is only intended for our Hive. We all stand next to each other and show our respect. 

"Friends. You have performed above our expectations. The Kakross homeworld is no more. We have wiped most of our enemy from existence. Whatever remains of them shall be hunted down to extinction soon enough. Now tell us....where is that Empress? We very much want to.....greet her in person." 

I can see in her eyes what she exactly means by "greet."

"Eh....My Empress, if I may?"

"Of course."

"The Empress is being held by one of our escorts. I requested that she be brought aboard my Hive so we can use her for our cause."

"YOUR hive? We believe you are mistaken. But let us not dwell. What are your plans with her?"

"I will try to reason with her first and make her stand down those attacks."

"And what if she refuses?" The Queen gives me a creepy smile.

"It is as you think, my Empress. In that case...she will die before the day ends. By your hands."

"Very well then. You have our blessing. Keep us informed."

"Yes, Empress, one more thing."

"Oh? Tell us."

"There might be many Vahli alive in the Kakross system. May I organize a rescue operation?"

"We already have. We have three escorts who have already departed. They shall try to recover any pilots. And let us emphasize to you...TRY. If it is too dangerous...and we know you don't like this Akari......we shall have them return. We need those ships. We will also take care of our wounded here and let all craft return to their Hives. That....will take a while, though." 

"Yes, my Empress. And one last thing."   

"Shoot."  She uses my terminology!

"Empress, we have to keep our guard up. There may be more on their way today or in the coming days."

"We know. And we will be ready for them."

The Empress smiles creepily again, and ends the transmission.

"She's scary..."  Is all I said. Nobody looked at me....so they all agree.

"Fuku...please instruct the survivors from Wave1 and Wave2, who are currently holding positions, to return home."

"Yes Akari."

[ A royal prisoner ]

After enjoying a quick meal together with the General, where I lost yet another tooth, we waited for the Kakross Empress to be brought before me...in Miwa's throne room. The others have been dismissed to shield them from the horror to come.

I ordered one of the guards to reduce the lights in this room, so everything looks a bit more intimidating for our unexpected guest.

The General is waiting behind me in the dark, just like in the old times, while I'm sitting comfortable on the throne. It now looks as if I'm the only one here. But the view into outer space is still there....just a little dramatic touch here and there.

Knock knock. "Queen Akari!"  The guards shout.

Ah.....she's here. And I hear her cursing already.

"Bring her in at once!" I shout back, making sure to sound venomous.

The doors swing open, and...oh my god...they're DRAGGING her inside! Two guards are dragging her by the arms while three other guards are continuously aiming a gun at her.

They stop right before the throne, on which I comfortably take in the view...smiling at the sight before me.

"Release us this instance!"  The Empress says.

I nod to the guards and they simply drop her, making the Empress fall to her face. Ouch... The guards then join the others and raise their guns as well.

I don't speak at all and wait for her to speak while she struggles to stand. Yep, her hands and feet are bound together. She's not running anywhere, but can still stand up.

It seems she's one of those that prefer royal speech. Alright, I have to play along. Even though I hate that. I would have hoped for a more polite opening, even though we just wiped out most of her species.

She now stands before me, but still at a safe distance. Ah...she just noticed that I'm holding a gun as well.

I stand up and speak in a relaxed way "Welcome, Empress. Welcome to our Hive."

"You...you are Queen of this Hive?" 

Her eyes are glowing red. She's absolutely pissed, that much is certain, I can hear it in her voice too. But so am I.

"We are, yes."  It's a lie, but I can't let poor Miwa handle this serpent.

"You are unlike....any...Vahli we have previously encountered." She looks surprised at my nose. She probably only noticed that now.

"You will see many more unexpected things in our Hive, Empress." I probably sounded like a gangster from those old black and white movies...just a bit more drama is what I need.

"We see...  Oh! Tell your drones to release these filthy chains! We are an Empress! We are of royalty!"

"Indeed you are. We must agree. Guards, not yet....but once I say so...remove her chains and keep your guns pointed at her. Do not kill her until I order you to." I make sure to give her a death glare.

My guards nod and wait for the command.

"Alright, release her."

My guards release her, step back and point their guns at her.

"We thank you. But...you...you would kill us? An Empress?" Her eyes stop glowing red. Nice, that's better already.

"It would only be fair, right? You committed genocide. Killing our Empress in the process."

Her face now shows concern. She really thinks I'll kill her. And I might if she makes a sudden move.

"We...understand. State your demands."  

"In the end our Empress will decide on your fate. But work with us and we shall do anything to convince our Empress to spare your life."

"You would promise?"

"We would. Now...why did you commit genocide? What did we do to deserve your wrath?"

"Genocide? Mmmm, it might look like that from your perspective. It is simple. We believed your species to be a docile race. Your planet and resources seemed ready to be conquered. We did not foresee you capable of annihilating us."

"You forced us to retaliate. We are deeply saddened that we had to use so much deadly force. It is not our way to wipe out most of a species. You made us lower our ways to your despicable level. Your very existence disgusts us." I made sure to spit to my right, emphasizing the feeling.

"Yes, the feeling is mutual. And still you retaliated. Are we not on equal footing now? An eye for an eye? A foot for a foot?"

"We are not. Not yet. We want to hear your conditions for surrender."

"Surrender? To the Vahli? Ha ha ha! Never!" 

"We would now like to take the opportunity to remind you that your homeworld has been destroyed. Your fleet has been decimated. Your losses are almost total. Only the Hives that were not close to our attack fleet have survived. We shall hunt them down and end their existence as well."

"You...you would end our race?"

I take a single step forward, and my guards raise their guns again. My expression is a very serious one. Another death glare.
"We would. We lost many workers by your hands....and one of our beloved friends. Let us tell you....if you would believe that you have seen all of our latest improvements in weapons technology...you would be terribly wrong."

I see her swallow. My point came across. How wonderful. Then I continue.

"But there is another way."

"Tell us."

"If you should reconsider to surrender, our Empress will have no other way than to keep you alive. You and the Hives who are still loyal to you shall be allowed to settle on a new homeworld. There your species might continue to exist."

"You...you would exile us?"

"Exile...well, we suppose you might see it as such. It would be up to you and your attitude how we continue our relationship. You see...if you should change your view of us....we might....help your race."

"We do not understand." She really looks confused.

"It means...your species won't ever leave your new world again, unless your race progresses to the level where we can interact as friends."

"Friends.....with the Vahli? Surely you jest."

"We do not. Just think about it. Your Hives and our Hives combined. Our defenses would become impenetrable. Our reign would span countless star systems. We would even bring culture, civilization, progress to other races and share in technological advancements. Why fight when we can work together?"

"That....that is...unheard of! We would align ourselves with..the Vahli?"

"You would. No longer war, but cooperation. Would you not even consider this? Not even a hundred years into the future?"

"We see the benefit in this. The other option...a total and complete annihilation of our species....is unthinkable."

"We agree. We see potential for growth in your race."

"Why do you show us mercy? Why even offer friendship? We who have decimated your homeworld."

"Because only our combined uniqueness makes the both of us stronger. There are limits to what a species can achieve on their own. Your ways are not the only ways. Let's share our ways. When you are ready. Or you might find yourself all alone at one point in the future. Like today."

"We...we do not know how to respond...to such a request."

"You will have time to think about our offer in our brig. Guards, take her to the brig, but treat her with respect. She's still an Empress."

"As you command, my Queen. But what is a brig?"

I facepalmed.

"We see that you have similar issues with your drones. Tiresome, isn't it?" The Empress said with a smile.

"<sigh> On that point, we must agree. Guards, give her a personal alcove. Keep the door closed and put guards there. Give her access to a food dispenser and treat her well."

"A food dispenser?" asks the Empress.

"Yes." Oh god. Really? "Explaining this is not worthy of a Queen. But we shall nevertheless. There shall be sustenance in your..brig. Eat and drink with your hands." 

"WHAT? We are royal! We never touch food with our hands! It's beneath us! We know you are fed...we demand the same civilized treatment!"

"Empress....we shall not force one of our nurses to feed an enemy. For that is what you presently are. You either gracefully accept our food or....die from starvation!"

"But.."  But I turn my back to her and motion the guards to carry her away.

Oh god....that was tense!

After she left, I asked for the lights in the throne room to be returned to normal. The General was my witness. He didn't interrupt my little conversation with the Empress, but still questioned if this was the correct way to go. It took a little explaining, but I think I won him over.

We contact our Empress and convince her that this is the best course of action. She first wanted to execute her at once. Well, I can hardly blame her for that.

But long term cooperation might be more beneficial than extermination. When other races hear about us...how much excessive use of force we showed by annihilating a species...it might cause additional friction in the region. The Empress agrees, but asks me to be careful with the Empress's demands. She demands an unconditional surrender, but I suggested to allow her to retain at least some dignity.

After intentionally letting the Kakrosss Empress wait in the brig for half a day, I walk to her alcove, a.k.a. "the brig."

She's currently trying one of our waffles. Amazing what hunger can do to your principles, isn't it?

The guards open the door and stand ready to fire.

"Empress..."  I try to get her attention.

She looks my way and signals me that her mouth is full, so she can't speak.

"There is a drinkable substance in those cups." I try to be helpful.

She nodded and took one of the cups. I guess they really gave her the royal treatment. She just has to take what she wants, and doesn't even have to walk to get it.

Only half a minute has passed when the Empress finally approaches me. But she stops when she sees the guards raising their weapons. She's quick to read the situation, I'll grant you that.

She stares at me for a second, then says "We do not know how to address you, other than Queen."

"We understand. We take no offense. Call us Queen Akari. We have news for you."

"Then call us Empress Shilshi."

Oookay. That's a strange name. Probably the translator.

"Empress Shilshi, our Empress has decided to show mercy on you and your people. You shall continue to live. Unless you attack us again, of course."

She looks very much relieved. "We...we thank you for your contribution. We assume that your Empress would have ordered us to death without your intervention."

"You assume correctly. Have you reconsidered our proposal?"

"We have. We...we..."  I see that she almost has to throw up saying these words..."we should not have attacked your people. We antagonized you and can only blame ourselves for your counter attack. We..."  there's the choking again...."apologize to your Empress."

"On behalf of our Empress...we accept your apology. How about the conditions of your surrender?"

"We see the value in your....proposal and accept voluntary exile. Our race shall not dwell in space until we..." she's choking again.."become friends."

"Any other conditions?"

"We ask to be brought to the planet Malrorth...the one closest to our former homeworld. It is uninhabited and has comparable living conditions."

"Our Empress will have to agree on that. Anything else?"

"You are most gracious. We need to inform you that not all Hives are under our control anymore. Please, try to get them to our new home."

"We promise. But resistance shall be met with deadly force from our side."

"We understand and approve. There are no other conditions...except for helping us rebuild our home...We offer.." she chokes again. "friendship as soon as we can...as repayment. It might take us a while." She really thinks that even the concept of friendship is disgusting, her face emphasizes that feeling. 

"We accept and we understand. Rebuilding your home will be your task. We might provide the materials, but our workers shall not touch your soil. As for how much we help...we shall see how things progress. Our Empress will decide about the planet. 

Empress Shilshi, we expect that this is our last encounter."  I don't want to offer anything else in return for her surrender, so I switch topics.

"We assume the same. We thank you for....sparing us."

"We bid you farewell. May our races find a common future."

"Words we shall take home. Farewell."

We both bowed, as we are still royals. There's much hatred from both sides, but in the end we must look to the future.

I then left her alone, making sure that the door was closed again.

Is it just a coincidence that both them and the Vahli have Empresses? Or is Earth the exception? Ha, we don't even have a single world government....yet. Imagine that. Nah, Earth is unique, and we like it that way. 

 

Once our Empress confirmed that the planet was okay, I allowed the Kakross Empress to be escorted into an escape pod. 

We arranged for one of the Kakross Hives to come pick her up, while all of our defenses were on full alert. I don't want to be surprised by another attack. It was also a show of strength from our side. A message for the others.

We launched her in an escape pod and she was immediately collected. It's rather disgraceful, but it is what it is.

Before she left us, she asked one of my guards to relay a message to me. Once in her Hive, she would speak to them and recall all her Hives. We don't know how many have acknowledged her orders. Too bad for the ones who didn't. We will deal with those in time. 

We won't be sending any ships to their new home world, but shall be watching from a distance nevertheless. Their Hives must land...nothing is allowed to remain in orbit. That's the idea at least. We'll see if she honors the agreement. I guess we need to keep in touch. But not for a long while.