Chapter 21: Horti plays her hand

Moksur sat at the head of the table in the planning room as Horti and her group strode in, followed by the Colonel. Admiral Frichadarsya Lassastla looked up and smiled at Horti as she sat at the table. It was a more luxurious room than the others she had been in. Another giant hologram of her mother dominated the room. The panels were dark, but the room was well lighted. Azer looked at Horti. She indicated to him to speak.

“We disabled the planet killer, but Zyla escaped. We boarded the dreadnaught and didn’t encounter any resistance. No one has seen Zyla return. Maslav scanned the ship from front to back and could not find her.”

“What happened to Zyla’s ships?” Horti asked.

“The entire fleet surrendered when they saw we surrounded them,” said the Admiral.

“What happened to Ajende?” Horti asked.

“Her head exploded five minutes after the time threatened by Zyla.”

“Blow up all her ships, including the Dreadnaught. These are her loyal people. We can’t afford to take them with us. Time is short. We must reduce risks and confusion. Every single person on those ships was prepared to betray our Dominion,” said Horti.

“It will be done!” Admiral Frichadarsya Lassastla intoned and pressed the hologram.

“Horti, you are your mother’s daughter. Both of you are equally ruthless,” said Moksur.

Horti waved her arm dismissively.

“How will we find Zyla?”

“We have several informants with whom we are in contact. Many of her planets fall out of the shield over the next week, but she has many on which she can hide.”

“What fleet assets has she retained?” Horti asked.

“Zyla has one small fleet. The flagship is a small battleship. We are shadowing her fleet, but it is inactive. Many ships don’t have sufficient crew to operate,” said Admiral Lassastla.

“Disable them. Let the crews escape. They were the ones she was to leave behind. Let us reduce her options drastically. I wouldn’t be surprised if she hid close to us here,” said Horti.

The Admiral nodded and sent the commands on her hologram.

“Ask your team to look in homes and buildings she is known to own. Since she is no longer leaving, she will be a thorn in our side until the end, or she will disguise herself and come through with us to the other side and rebuild her power base. We must provoke and bait her to act so we don’t face a long-term problem,” said Horti.

“Horti, we are searching for her property and other assets,” said Moksur.

“Say we are thinking of letting her through the gate. Then an hour later, say we changed our mind,” said Horti. “Have we removed the infernal device from my mother?”