Supernova Blitz

Chapter 5: Parlay With The Grodrrns

Baskylla Jardzen Dzor'Vassa Grrgh Khla'Chn, the highest ranked commander of the vanguard force probing this planet's defenses, watches the fourth of the human ships leave the cloaking field in orbit. He has no doubt there is a station there, but he is unconcerned with it at this time. The ships have each roughly been the size of a Fievegal Battleship, but vastly under-armed. And, if their defensive capabilities match those of the much larger mining ships the Fievegal recently destroyed, it will be less of a battle and more of a butchering of a slightly resistant livestock. The young officer monitoring the radar calls out, "{Yarjen Craw! Another ship fleeing!}"

His second in command remarks from nearby, "{Their sustainable population grows, Yarjen. I must recommend interception...}"

"{No,}" grunts Jardzen Khla. "{Interceptors cannot take them alive. The Fievegal shall capture them. Their rulers are undoubtedly onboard.}"

"{If they activate Falight...}"

"{IF they had that technology, Neohlate Yarjen, they would not be fleeing at sublight in the first three.}"

Niolajt Jardzen Ghwung'Vrahkh Dzroll Mrff'Chn, second in command of the ship and subsequently the Baskylla, nods civilly. It is his duty to not agree with the Baskylla Jardzen if there are valid concerns. But, Jardzen Khla is not concerned about the few thousand humans fleeing their own homeworld without a whisper of a real fight. He is concerned with what the humans may have left behind in waiting.

Jardzen Khla turns his seat back to the tactical screen. Something the humans had is actively causing problems. At a glance, there are many of the tiny blue scales representing fallen soldiers. The tiny blue spheres are seemingly scattered about the map, with many more silver scales outnumbering. At a glance, it simply shows the human warriors are lucky if not clever and resourceful. Already 46 of Khla's 1000 ground soldiers have been eliminated. At a glance, there is no pattern.

However, he did not achieve his status with glances alone. Khla studies the map. Over half of the blue scales form a loose line. And, that line is consistent with times of death. Something travelled from a point in the human clutsion to a point outside as close to directly as possible. He orders, "{Overlay human fleeing patterns.}"

"{As you wish, Yarjen!}" replies the technical officer. The map changes colors, from grey to increasing intensities of orange. Khla studies the updated map. While many of the humans flocked straight outwards from the city, concentrating on their synthetic pathways –which disadvantaged them to no end-, a noticeable spike in intensity of the color seems to follow the line formed by the deaths. But, the times don't match. The concentration happened BEFORE the human asset made its way there.

Be it a massive horde of the mammalian warriors, or some as yet unseen superweapon, the asset AND the majority of the fleeing humans seem to be headed to the same location.

Suddenly, eight more silver scales turn blue in the span of only a minute. One single scale stays silver. It is at the apparent destination of the line AND the mass fleeing. Khla's heart tightens and his skin shrinks slightly.

He was among the last of the Fievegal males to be granted the great honor and privilege of conceiving an egg with Saurmynnyka Reez'Vvonn Shrrgh Nulgh'Chn, ruler of the Fievegal. She graced him with a single egg, which he and his bondmate would raise with honor and distinction.

Grodrrns pray that their hatchlings are male, as females carry with them a stigma fed by the laws of the Fievegal. However, when Khla discovered that his hatchling was a beautiful green-skinned girl, he forgot all about his fears.

Then, the assassination of Saurmynnyka Reez'Vvonn by a long range orbital attack shattered the calm day-to-day nature of the Fievegal. The Grodrrns fell into chaos. The military mobilized. Khla was able to bring his hatchling and bondmate on the operation, and during the long voyage, raised his daughter to be a military pilot –a high honor for any Grodrrn if accepted-. And, she succeeded.