laughed, “As if that’s possible.”
“Anyway, it’s good to have you with us.”
“Willow, have you and Amber looked at the plans for Jack’s confrontation with a Feeder?”
“We have and it needs to be changed.”
Jack looked up, “What was wrong with the planet I chose?”
“It’s located on the Alliance side of Feeder Space. We’re doing all we can to keep them focused away from this direction and if you stir things up, it may send them searching in this direction. We need to pick a planet out in the direction of their current search.”
Jack stared at the wall speaker and took a breath, “I didn’t consider that. Have you selected a planet?”
“I’ve actually looked at six possibilities. I want to make sure that everyone understands that if we kill a Feeder, it will probably lead to every local inhabitant under its control being killed.”
Jack’s eyes narrowed and he looked at Rocky, “Is that true!?”
“Probably. I’ll try to find a way to prevent it but I really don’t see a way to avoid it yet.”
Olivia looked at Jack, “You have to do this. Those inhabitants are going to die anyway. We have to make their deaths count for something.”
Jill looked at the wall speaker, “Do any of the six planets you’ve chosen have an extremely large natural predator?”
“Two of them do. Why do you ask?”
“When Kyle moved the Kerits three hundred years ago; he used the, I think they were called Grondons, to mask killing the Feeder in their community.”
Rocky tilted his head, “You really have been looking at the history database.”
“Will it work again?”
“Probably not.”
“Why?”
“Because the Feeder was killed by the Grondon and all of the inhabitants were taken away on an Alliance Transport months later. Bearing that in mind, we are not going to linger at whatever planet we choose.” Rocky looked at Jack, “Are you up to doing this?”
Jack looked at Rocky and slowly exhaled, “Olivia is right. This has to be done.”
“That’s not an answer, Jack? Can you kill that Feeder and walk away knowing everyone left behind might be murdered?”
“Can you do it, Admiral?”
“I’ve watched millions of innocent civilians die in battles against aggressive civilizations in the Coma Cluster. I knew that their deaths, though awful, would lead to less being killed later. I can do this and have peace of mind.”
Jack stared at him and then nodded, “I can do this.”
“Olivia, if you have to scorch the community and all the lands around it to ensure Jack isn’t harmed…”
“I have no problem doing it. You should know that.”
“I do but Jack needs to know it as well. He’s not attended Fleet Academy and been prepared to understand just why things like this have to be done. He’s also not seen the benefit that comes from decisions like this being made in the past.”
“Jill hasn’t attended the Academy either.”
Jill opened her mouth to retort but Rocky said, “Jill has had the time to review hours of Fleet History and has learned the lessons on her own. I suspect if Jack had the time to do the same, he would also understand why it must be done.”
Jill closed her mouth and nodded to Jack when he looked at her. “I still want you to try and find a way to save the locals.”
Rocky nodded, “I’ll do all I can to try and make that happen but not at the expense of losing you.” Jack sighed and nodded. Rocky was glad he understood his importance to the Alliance. “Willow, why don’t you show us the two planets with large predators and give us an image of how they appear.”
The wall monitor in the kitchen activated and an animal appeared that looked like a green hump with eight legs under it. Olivia shook her head, “How can that thing be dangerous? I don’t see any jaws or claws.”
“Give me a moment.” Suddenly, the green hump appeared with a giant opening in the front with six rows of jagged pointed teeth. “You need to understand that this
“Anyway, it’s good to have you with us.”
“Willow, have you and Amber looked at the plans for Jack’s confrontation with a Feeder?”
“We have and it needs to be changed.”
Jack looked up, “What was wrong with the planet I chose?”
“It’s located on the Alliance side of Feeder Space. We’re doing all we can to keep them focused away from this direction and if you stir things up, it may send them searching in this direction. We need to pick a planet out in the direction of their current search.”
Jack stared at the wall speaker and took a breath, “I didn’t consider that. Have you selected a planet?”
“I’ve actually looked at six possibilities. I want to make sure that everyone understands that if we kill a Feeder, it will probably lead to every local inhabitant under its control being killed.”
Jack’s eyes narrowed and he looked at Rocky, “Is that true!?”
“Probably. I’ll try to find a way to prevent it but I really don’t see a way to avoid it yet.”
Olivia looked at Jack, “You have to do this. Those inhabitants are going to die anyway. We have to make their deaths count for something.”
Jill looked at the wall speaker, “Do any of the six planets you’ve chosen have an extremely large natural predator?”
“Two of them do. Why do you ask?”
“When Kyle moved the Kerits three hundred years ago; he used the, I think they were called Grondons, to mask killing the Feeder in their community.”
Rocky tilted his head, “You really have been looking at the history database.”
“Will it work again?”
“Probably not.”
“Why?”
“Because the Feeder was killed by the Grondon and all of the inhabitants were taken away on an Alliance Transport months later. Bearing that in mind, we are not going to linger at whatever planet we choose.” Rocky looked at Jack, “Are you up to doing this?”
Jack looked at Rocky and slowly exhaled, “Olivia is right. This has to be done.”
“That’s not an answer, Jack? Can you kill that Feeder and walk away knowing everyone left behind might be murdered?”
“Can you do it, Admiral?”
“I’ve watched millions of innocent civilians die in battles against aggressive civilizations in the Coma Cluster. I knew that their deaths, though awful, would lead to less being killed later. I can do this and have peace of mind.”
Jack stared at him and then nodded, “I can do this.”
“Olivia, if you have to scorch the community and all the lands around it to ensure Jack isn’t harmed…”
“I have no problem doing it. You should know that.”
“I do but Jack needs to know it as well. He’s not attended Fleet Academy and been prepared to understand just why things like this have to be done. He’s also not seen the benefit that comes from decisions like this being made in the past.”
“Jill hasn’t attended the Academy either.”
Jill opened her mouth to retort but Rocky said, “Jill has had the time to review hours of Fleet History and has learned the lessons on her own. I suspect if Jack had the time to do the same, he would also understand why it must be done.”
Jill closed her mouth and nodded to Jack when he looked at her. “I still want you to try and find a way to save the locals.”
Rocky nodded, “I’ll do all I can to try and make that happen but not at the expense of losing you.” Jack sighed and nodded. Rocky was glad he understood his importance to the Alliance. “Willow, why don’t you show us the two planets with large predators and give us an image of how they appear.”
The wall monitor in the kitchen activated and an animal appeared that looked like a green hump with eight legs under it. Olivia shook her head, “How can that thing be dangerous? I don’t see any jaws or claws.”
“Give me a moment.” Suddenly, the green hump appeared with a giant opening in the front with six rows of jagged pointed teeth. “You need to understand that this
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