"Hmm... if that’s true, then there must be an external charging chanism," Old Gan muttered. Once he found a lead—even a tiny thread —he seized it with the ferocity of a starving man.
"This confirms it: it has a power source to charge. It also ans that charging the weapon is a distinct process from firing it. It can be held in a cold, dormant state while fully loaded... Which also ans..."
"It ans there are specialised settlents or facilities within Toranks territory where these weapons are charged," Hye’s eyes shone with a brilliance as the talk shifted to such a good point. "Or better yet, they must keep these charging facilities relatively close to the front lines."
"If that was the case, they would have needed to remodel their major ships to act as mobile batteries, but I didn’t notice any structural differences in their heavy cruisers!" Olana added.
She felt a surge of adrenaline; finally, the conversation was moving past "we are dood" and into the realm of "how do we kill it." "But I agree with the need for proximity. They need to recharge and redeploy fast. So..."
"So, we don’t look for the weapon on the battlefield," Hye said, his excitent mounting. "We look for the charging stations."
Old Gan stood up abruptly, his chair screeching against the floor. "I have to go... Right now... I need to scrap our current theories. If this weapon is a chargeable type rather than a self-generating one, it changes everything. We aren’t looking for a magic spell; we’re looking for a fuel source. And a fuel source can be intercepted, it can be sabotaged."
"I’ll also try to secure us that sample you want," Hye shouted after the retreating back of the old scientist, who was already halfway out the door. "From the charging stations, not the firing line!"
"But..." Sara looked over at Olana, her brow furrowed. "How are we supposed to find these stations? If they are as vital as we think, the Toranks will have them hidden behind a thousand layers of security and deep-space interference."
"We don’t even have a detailed map of their core territory," Legend sighed, leaning back and crossing his arms. "We’re essentially looking for a needle in a haystack, and we don’t even know where the haystack is."
The room fell silent again, the daunting reality of the task weighing on them. But Hye had a totally different opinion.
"If we don’t know, I know a race who must know everything about them," Hye said, his eyes gleaming with a fierce, predatory light. The conviction in his voice silenced the lingering doubts in the room. "I’ll have to travel outside to secure the information we need. For now, keep yourselves shut and hidden. As for you..."
Hye turned his sharp attention toward the Pirate King and Lady Nymph. The two figures, who had been uncharacteristically quiet during the debate, felt the weight of his gaze. "It’s ti for the two of you to set loose and act freely in the universe!"
"Right now?!" the two exchanged bewildered gazes. The Pirate King leaned forward, his hand gripping the hilt of his cutlass. "Isn’t it better to lay low? The Toranks are out for blood, and if we show our faces while you’re making your moves, we’ll be the first targets they try to swat."
"Rember," Hye interrupted, his voice dropping into a stern, instructional tone, "you aren’t affiliated with us! In the eyes of the universe, you are a separate, chaotic force.
If you hide exactly when my grand fleet disappears, it won’t be hard for their analysts to link you back to . To stay hidden is to be found. To act as you always have—pillaging, moving, and causing trouble—is the only way to remain invisible."
"Got it," the Pirate King was the first to stand, a grin slowly spreading across his face as the logic took hold. The prospect of returning to the lawless reaches of the stars was far more appealing than sitting in a war room. "I’ll prepare the ships and depart within the hour. By the way, if we ever need anything... Specific... While we’re out there..."
"Until I co back, do not try to acquire anything from the territory," Hye stressed, his expression darkening. "Even if you hear that we are under imnse attack, do not intervene. Do not send supplies. Do not even send scouts or small ships here. Any link between us right now is a death sentence for this hobase."
"You act like we are going to be your plan B," Lady Nymph chuckled in amusent, her eyes twinkling as she expressed what many had already grasped. She stood up, smoothing her robes.
"We got it! The big guy just ans he wants us to stay far enough away that when the hamr falls, not under it. But the Pirate King ant if we needed so initial supplies before our departure..."
"Ah, then yes. Just submit your list to Isac, and I’ll provide whatever you need from the current reserves," Hye said, calmly watching them move toward the exit. His mind was already racing ahead, navigating the political minefield he was about to enter.
"What about our next move then?" One of the younger generals asked, pulling Hye’s focus back to the council table. "Aside from selecting the stay-behind force and the expeditionary groups, what else shall we do?"
"Expand and recruit, of course," Hye said, as if stating the most basic law of nature. "You have a sudden influx of hundreds of billions of different races. You must filter them, expand your ranks, and begin training the combatants from the newly gained races imdiately."
He spoke briefly about the strategic integration of the new populations. Up until this point, the council had been consud by humanitarian and security issues—facilitating housing, constructing cities, and managing food supplies. But as they looked after the well-being of their new subjects, they also had to reap the benefits of such a massive expansion.
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