Chapter 539: Tempest (2/2)
Su Xiaosu sat beside Lan Jue. When he was here she didn’t speak or involve herself much. Behind the scenes, though, all of their military strategy had been devised by the Morning Star before they were open to discussion. Her title was Second-In-Command, but she was the one directing their every move. Her commands were given through Lan Jue’s mouth. Her responsibilities were numerous. Her voice held the greatest weight, but her work was endless.
Endless, but enjoyable. She found purpose in her work that brought her joy. She was different from the Amazons, and this role suited her better she thought. As former leader of the Moonfiend Pirates she had experience in spades, and compared to her former force the Star Division was far stronger. The Moonfiend Pirates had twenty ships to the Division’s two, but on an individual level they could never compete.
Su Xiaosu had already told Lan Jue her thoughts on this. If this division could work together, develop a chemistry, then it would be the most terrifying pirate force the universe had ever seen. Yes, pirates – not soldiers. Soldiers required strict discipline and fought in a group. The strength of the individual was ignored. What Su Xiaosu meant when she said pirates, was a unique and fearsome mecha division.
Afterwards, once the analyses had completed, she presented Lan Jue with a comprehensive training and integration plan. After taking a look and discussing it with the others, the decision to make her Second-in-Command was passed down.
From training to this expedition, Su Xiaosu had shown herself to be a remarkable commander – the mastermind. She was just as much the leader as Lan Jue was.
After the council was adjourned, Lan Jue turned to the Morningstar. “Is there anything you’d like to add?”
“Relax, boss,” she replied. “I’ll have a detailed plan. They have numbers, and they’re well spread across the planet. We’ll need to be very precise. We need to rout them, but we need to do it with zero casualties. The Blinding Stones help us a lot with this. In addition we can lure them in, and…”
Lan Jue nodded repeatedly. Her overall idea put him at ease.
Over the last few days, Lan Jue had obsessively trained, merged with Qianlin as always. He had to prepare to join with the godblades, and every step up in strength meant a greater chance of success. Jun Yongye, Xuanyuan Shishi, and even the Pharmacist would cultivate at his side so he could feel the energies of the swords. To become familiar with them. It would make the process easier when the time came.
Su Xiaosu stood at the main controls, looking over the data. She lifted her head and looked Lan Jue’s direction. “Commander, now is as good a time as any.”
He nodded, then turned to the Bartender. “Send out the reconnaissance team.”
“Sir. They’re already waiting on Zeus-1.” In similar strategy to the Poison Wasps, the Division’s smaller ship would deliver the unit to the surface undetected. They would look and report back to inform the final battle strategy. When the fighting broke out, they’d strike like a thunderclap.
It didn’t matter who – or when – you fought. The most important factor in any fight was your scouts.
“Commander, there. That’s Tempest.” She indicated out of the porthole toward the approaching planet.
The planet twinkled green and blue against the stark backdrop of space. Normally green meant foliage and blue was water – life. Evidence suggested this place was habitable for humans 1.
Lan Jue exclaimed in appreciation. “These Desert Tempest guys chose well!”
ζ
Zeus-1 quietly slipped away from Majesty and approached the planet, cloaked by the Blinding Stone. They shut off all nonessential systems to reduce their energy footprint. Su Xiaosu’s voice crackled over their radio. “Zeus-1. Zeus-1, this is Majesty. Respond.”
1. Astrologers/astrophysicists/bored keyboard warriors; in what situation could you have three habitable planets in a galaxy’s interior (let’s say they’re in the goldilocks zone), and a habitable planet in its far reaches?