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And with them, Chax would perish.
No pressure.
I weighed up each idea and crossed them off the list one by one. The problem I had was no one understood how the Changelings would react to any given situation. We needed Chax and his intimate knowledge of these beasts.
I needed him.
He knew the Changelings far better than any of us ever would. He’d found himself ensnared in their plans more times than he could count. He developed a sense of knowing what they were up to before the rest of us could react.
What did the Changelings want? I wondered. What had they gone to so much trouble with the base for? How could I use that information for our benefit?
When the answer came to me, the plan formed immediately at the front of my mind. It was simple, fast, and risked the fewest number of Yayora lives.
But would it work?
I explained it to Stari, who was busy organizing living arrangements for the mass of Yayora still arriving.
“No way,” Stari said. “We’re not putting you at risk. You’re our best hope of finding a way out of this. If anything happens to you, we’re done for.”
“If we don’t act soon, Chax will be done for,” I said.
Stari sighed and placed a hand on my shoulder.
“I know he’s important for you,” she said, “but he’s only one Titan. We have thousands of Yayora down here to worry about. Never mind the millions spread across the rest of the planet. We have to be levelheaded about this.”
“What kind of state do you think I’m going to be in if he dies?” I said. “You won’t get a recognizable word out of me for months. I thought I already lost him once. Next time, it will be even worse.”
“But you would still be alive,” Stari said. “We could build a plan. If the Changelings get their stinking hands on you…”
I expected this response from her. My best plan came with the greatest level of risk but also the greatest payoff if it was successful.
“It’s the best idea I came up with,” I said.
“So keep thinking,” Stari said.
“We’re out of time already,” I said.
Stari had set herself up in a large room carved into the rock. She was supposed to sit in the stone throne at the center of the room but she had never been the type to stay in one place for long. She moved to a desk where soldiers squirreled at sheets of paper, issuing and receiving orders at a frenetic pace.
This was where their resistance started and it was where they would have to begin all over again.
“If you have a better idea, I’d like to hear it,” I said.
Stari turned toward me and rubbed her eyes. Day one, and she was already exhausted.
She didn’t like the plan. It wasn’t like I loved it. But there was nothing else we could do. Not unless she wanted to spend her entire life pursuing it the way her Grandpa had.
“If your plan fails…” she said.
“Then you can always repeat what your Grandpa did,” I said. “This plan doesn’t leave your base here exposed. You can still keep fighting.”
“Grandpa spent his entire life building an elaborate underground base right under the Changelings’ noses,” Stari said. “What you’re suggesting… It’s so simple. The Changelings will know we’re coming.”
“Not necessarily. You can be patient and fight long term the way your Grandpa did or you can take a gamble and have victory within the next few hours. It has to be worth trying, doesn’t it? And the window is closing. It’s not going to be open forever.”
Stari shook her head and braced her hands on the desktop.
“Your life will be on the line,” she said. “Are you sure you accept that?”
