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‘I doubt it. Somehow, her confidence, the tight beam and direct access to Auban make me think she has some help.’
‘Who from?’
‘The Galicians? The Iccythrians? Who knows. Look into it. While I flap around and work with our annoyingly holier-than-thou, sanctimonious and self-righteous fool, Prime Minister Terion, to try to find anything to appease Auban’s request to help them. We’re thinly spread as it is, and this will limit us out even more.’
‘Which is why we have to stay focused. We need this to be a success. For the sake of Rhesia and our hapless King.’
‘The Technocracy? Will they come through for us?’
‘They’re the most powerful force in and out of this galaxy. So we have to believe they will.’
‘To the Triumv.’
‘True and sure.’
7
The Winged Horse, Pegasus
Selene
After the tight beam call to Rhesus, Selene and Kainan huddled before a wall of holo screens that took centre stage in Kainan’s study.
Each screen linked to feeds from the other Sable Riders as they patched in with their updates.
First was Kage and his preparations with the armada - getting the fleet ship shape, ready and fuelled for the coming skirmish. He was working closely with Zane and Xion to manage the supplies’ logistics, moving schills around to purchase what they needed.
To pull off a successful feint against the Technocracy’s blockade, they’d decided to have the armada hide in the asteroid shadows just beyond the planet Alloria’s rings.
Xion gave his update. He’d recruited 1000 crew members, troops and fighters from The Sable Group’s network of mercenaries on Eden II, plus a few Galician, Falasian and Rhesian ex-soldiers and warriors.
‘Are they up to the task?’ Selene asked at one point.
‘You can rest assured we only recruit the best,’ Xion told her. ‘Don’t forget we’ve consistently hired out our services for many years - which means we have a long list of people on our books to help make this happen. To be listed as a freelance merc for Sable Riders Inc, you need to maintain your tactical fitness, be certified in the latest weapons and explosive devices, and an excellent shot.’
‘Plus, be an engineering and first aid all-rounder and have the required medical checks, inoculations and mental health training to take on our jobs,’ Kage added.
‘We’ve everyone on our books, from sensor operators to surveillance, search and rescue teams, plus experts in surface warfare and airborne countermeasures,’ Xion added.
Selene nodded in approval. ‘Sounds like The Sable Riders are perpetually on alert.’
‘We have to be. Our livelihood depends on it.’
Riv reported no further signs of the crats on Eden II since the attack on The Osirian.
‘We’ll still need to be vigilant,’ Kainan told his friends. ‘They have the tech to wage a terrible war, just like we do. And if they’ve shared any of their tech with Massimo, we might be in bigger trouble than we thought.’
After a long day of discussions, Selene and Kainan worked with Rina and Mirage to map a safe route for the Edenite armada to slip unseen and undetected into Dunia’s airspace.
‘As well as our stealth tech, our corvettes and flyers are covered with a fractal coating that absorbs most radiation that hits it and scatters the rest,’ Mirage announced. ‘Sweep it with a sensor scan, and nothing comes back directly. So from the view of any known sensor array, we won’t exist.’
They also strategised on plans to launch simultaneous attacks on critical facilities on the planet, working with Rina to digitally identify and map out each key infrastructure location the crats now controlled, with the crucial goal of improving the armada’s targeting.
After hours of hard graft and with everyone on the same page, Selene sank into her seat while Kainan wearily refilled their kahawa cups.
‘I think we need a break from screens and meetings,’ the hulking Edenite declared.
‘I can’t think straight any more,’ Selene said. ‘What do you suggest?’
