-Each unit's commander will receive their own objectives prior to landing,- General Soumaren continued. She pointed at the screen, which had zoomed in on the area surrounding Hayikwiir City, the capital of the planet which included the royal palace. -However, our main objectives will be the capture of Mat'aar Airbase, the main military facility in Hayikwiir, and the taking of the royal palace. Owing to the essential nature of this task, the responsibility for that objective will fall upon the Lirnan Royal Guards.- The Nuretan woman looked to Aria and her executive officer, Lieutenant Ayalis. -Captain Me'lia, you will be aided by our Imperial Marines, with armor support. You are to be accompanied by three divisions of Ascendancy Naval troops, who will assist in your assault operations. Once the Empress has been secured, air support and any available ground units will sanitize the area and facilitate an evacuation, at which point you will be freed to continue combat operations.- General Soumaren clasped her hands behind her back. -This will not be an easy fight. The enemy is well-trained, well-equipped, and well-fortified. This may be an extended battle, but I am praying that with diligence, perseverance, and a little bit of luck, we will prevail.-
Admiral Te'rou cleared his throat. -I only wish we had more forces to work with,- he admitted. The admiral looked to Governess Miri Amani. -Lady Amani, what word do you have from the envoys which were sent to the humans?-
Governess Amani, who up until now had been completely silent, now spoke. As she did, Aria could hear the pain and distress in her voice. Without a doubt, she was thinking of her daughter, the Empress, who was part of the subject of this operation. There was a very real and significant likelihood that, despite good planning and effort, Li'ren Amani would not make it out of this alive, and the governess knew it very well. That she could bring herself to be present at this meeting at all was a miracle in Aria's mind, and a demonstration of how professional and dedicated to her job Miri Amani could be.
-I have received very little information from the representatives I sent,- the governess said with regret. -I must admit, I had really counted on being able to work something out with them, but unfortunately it appears that they are planning to stay on the sidelines. I didn't think they would trust us, but I did hope they would be able to see the benefit of a partnership in this matter, at least.-
Aria spoke up. -This is a matter of the slavery issue, is it not?- Heads turned towards her, but she kept her eyes on Governess Amani.
The governess gave a low growl, her eyes narrowing. -It would appear so. That was a sticking point from the very beginning. It is why my daughter planned to make the announcement that we would be releasing all slaves in the Ascendancy. She hoped that would serve to break down the barriers that have kept us from reaching an agreement.-
-Why can it not still be made?- one of the other diplomats in the room asked. -The Empress was planning to do it anyway. Can't we still...-
-There is no time,- Governess Amani said, cutting her off as she shook her head. -Her Majesty made that plan several weeks ago, but we were keeping it a secret. We didn't want the rebels to get word and make moves to counter it.-
Aria raised a hand again. -Did anyone negotiating with the humans know, apart from you and Her Majesty?-
The governess hesitated. -Well...We did send word, ten days ago, by personal courier to the heads of each diplomatic mission to the humans,- she admitted. -The chief diplomats have their own latitude in the negotiations, but they were requested not to speak of the matter until the Empress gave her speech. I have to assume that they would stick to this request. There have been so many problems with the communications networks lately, so I suppose I could be wrong, but...- She shook her head, looking down at her lap. -We were not anticipating making our move to retake Lirna for many months yet, but our hand has been forced by Ara'lana's actions. I am afraid we cannot count on the humans to aid us. We must be content with the forces that we have, and I hope to the gods that they will be enough.-
******
The soldiers who had escorted Li'ren back to where she was being held opened the door courteously for her, but rather discourteously gave her a push to send her inside. The young Empress managed to keep her footing without tripping over the carpet. She looked over her shoulder, the fur on the top of her head bristling and her tail twitching irritably, as she threw a withering glare at the guards. They appeared not to notice, and merely closed the door firmly. A double set of clicking noises signified the door being locked from the outside, securely shutting her in the suite of rooms. Li'ren listened near the door for a moment, and then she gave a little huff and turned away to look into the room.
Though she was a captive, one would not have been able to tell just by looking at the rooms that she was being held in. The suite was one which had been designed to be occupied by visiting dignitaries and other guests of the royal family, and consisted of a spacious common area with a circular low table surrounded by two curved couches. The room was decorated with large urns containing live flowering plants, and although they appeared not to have been tended to very much since the conquering of the planet, they still filled the space with a pleasant fragrance. Off to either side of the common room were single doors which led to separate bedrooms, and though smaller than the room she had shared with Kri'a or even her room back on Arbaros, they were comfortable enough that they each could have accommodated two Ailians with no trouble. Neither Sami nor Li'ren had spent much time in the rooms, however, preferring to keep company with each other in the six or so hours that they had been on Lirna.
As Li'ren stepped over to one of the couches, intending to sit down, the door to the bedroom on the left opened up and Sami emerged from within. She was wide-eyed, and had obviously been drawn by the sounds from outside, but once she saw that it was only Li'ren in the room she calmed down markedly.
-Oh,- the orange-furred Ailian said, her voice somewhat shaky. -They brought you back. I'm glad. I was so worried when they took you, I thought...-
-Hush, little one,- Li'ren said, forcing herself to smile for Sami's sake. The joke was a weak one, but sufficient enough for the situation; though Li'ren was three years her senior, Sami was noticeably taller. She sat down, patting the cushion beside her. Sami walked over and sat as well. -Never mind what you thought. I am fine. I am just as relieved to see that you are still here.-
-Where did they take you?- Sami asked, as Li'ren took one of her hands.
Li'ren pursed her lips, and her ears laid back slightly. -They took me to see your mother,- she told Sami, glancing down at her lap. -Ara'lana wished to present the facade of negotiating our surrender. I do not see that as an acceptable option.- She squeezed Sami's hand, and decided not to elaborate further on what Ara'lana had spoken of. There was no sense in alarming the other woman further.
-You...saw mother?-
Li'ren looked back up, blinking in surprise at the earnest look on Sami's face. The younger girl's eyes looked somewhat shiny, and she thought she could see tears beginning in them. Her ears were low as well, and the Empress was certainly taken aback. -Yes, I did.- She tilted her head imperceptibly. -Is something the matter? Beyond the obvious, of course.-
-No, it's just...- Sami looked away. Her hand had gone limp in Li'ren's, and her tail was drooping over the edge of the couch to the floor. -I guess I knew mother would be here, but...- She went quiet again.
After a minute or so of stillness, apart from the slight shaking of Sami's shoulders, Li'ren broke the silence. -You want to see her,- she said gently. The blue-furred female put her other hand on Sami's knee. -You have not seen your mother in three years.-
With a little gasp, accompanied by a tear running down her cheek, the other Ailian nodded. -I do want to see her...,- Sami said, suddenly squeezing Li'ren's hand very tightly. -But at the same time, I do not. I don't know who she is, anymore.-
-You were close to your mother.-
Sami sniffed as another tear dripped down her face. -Not as close as Aria was,- she said. -but we were close. I loved my mother, very much. When she died, when we
thought
she died, I mean, it...- She stopped and took a few deep breaths, doing her best to calm herself. -I can remember once when I was a very little girl, still in school. I got in a fight with one of my classmates. I was never a very good fighter. Aria has tried to teach me many times, but my heart was never in it.- She gave a weak laugh. -The both of us were sent home for disturbing classes. Father was off of work, and when I showed up at home and told him what had happened, he gave me such a scolding. He had never scolded me before, and when he was done he sent me to my room. I cried so hard, because mother was on Lirna at the time, and I knew she would arrive home soon. As soon as she did, she came to my room. Before she said anything, I knew father had told her everything. I knew she was going to be so mad at me.- Sami wiped her eyes with one hand. -But instead, mother sat down on my bed next to me and hugged me. She didn't say anything for a while, she just held me. When she did say something, she said she wasn't mad at me. She said she knew I was already sorry for what I had done, so there was no point in scolding me any more. She told me she was proud of me for standing up for myself.-
Li'ren didn't know exactly what to say to that. It was not the sort of thing that she had come to expect from Ara'lana Me'lia, not since she had first met her nearly ten years ago, and certainly not in the past month. -I can see how that would be hard to reconcile with what is happening now...-
-My mother was a good mother,- Sami insisted. -Perhaps my siblings and I were the only ones to see that...I know there were many people who feared her, even back then. But to us, she was just...our mother. She could be very strict, and very demanding, but when she was at home, she was the most loving person you could imagine.- She was starting to cry harder now, the tears coming much more rapidly. -I feel so...so angry, so heartbroken, so...so everything. I want to be face to face with her, to ask her how much of that was real and how much of it was part of her act. In my heart I know it was all real, but what my heart and my head know are two different things.- Sami covered her face with one hand, sobbing freely now.
Biting her lip, Li'ren hesitated, and then she moved her hand from Sami's and placed it around her shoulders. She pulled the other woman close to her, and Sami let herself be drawn into the Empress' embrace. She buried her face in Li'ren's robed shoulder, dampening the expensive cloth with her tears as she cried in a combination of fear, sorrow, and anger. Li'ren felt so sorry for her. This was not the place to be sorting out these feelings. This was something she needed her family for. But right now, the best she could have was a friend to lean on, and a shoulder to cry on.
Li'ren hated Ara'lana Me'lia, with every ounce of emotion that someone could direct towards hating another. If she had it in her power right now, she would have ended her life without hesitation. But her friend would surely already know that, and yet she trusted in her enough to speak of these things in her company. That wasn't enough for Li'ren to be able to calm her hate, but it was plenty for her to be able to set it aside.
-She is still your mother,- Li'ren said, her voice a soothing whisper, -and she always will be. Nothing can change that.- She placed a hand on the back of Sami's head, where her fingers stroked between her ears gently. Whenever she had been upset, Kri'a had always done that. -Kri'a...Her relationship with her mother was never what you could call good. But Kri'a used to say that loving someone and approving of what they do are two different things. Love your mother for what she was to you, little one, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.-
Sami nodded fractionally, and her arms came around Li'ren as well, returning her hug as much as she could. There was a need there, and Li'ren could feel the gratitude even before she heard it in the younger woman's voice.
-Thank you, Li'ren,- Sami said hoarsely.
******
Aria stood before the wide viewing window on the bridge, looking out at the space surrounding the heavy battlecruiser
Krisa'la
, the flagship of the First Fleet. She could see many ships surrounding the one she was on. Other heavy battlecruisers, light gunships, scout ships, carriers, and all manner of other differently sized ships, Ailian and Nuretan, were present in the massive combined flotilla. Here and there, small fighters flitted about, keeping watch over the larger vessels in their fleets. She had never seen such a large collection of warships in one place, but there had never been a more important battle ahead, not in her lifetime. This was to be the battle that would decide the fate of her people, and very likely the fate of the rest of the known universe as well. When she saw all of the forces that were arrayed on their side, she couldn't help but feel hope. When she remembered everything that was arrayed against them, she couldn't help but feel that hope dwindle.
In just over two days time, the flotilla would emerge from hyperspace near Lirna and engage in battle over the homeworld. When that time came, Aria and her Royal Guards would join the thousands of troops landing to retake the planet. Though they were as highly trained as any soldiers in the Ascendancy could possibly hope to be, in their over five thousand year history the Royal Guards had rarely taken part in a battle of this nature. Now, though, they would put boots on the ground just like the rest, donning combat uniforms and taking to the deserts to fight the rebels who held their planet. But for now, Aria was wearing her regular duty uniform, the nondescript black fatigues which were conspicuous by their lack of adornment, marking her unmistakably as a Royal Guard. With her hands clasped behind her back, she stared out of the window at the rest of the flotilla, ignoring everything that went on around her while she waited for them to get underway.