He glanced into each of their eyes fondly and knowingly, his jaw tensing, ‘The covered bodies of our fallen comrades lay in this vessel…a number have died since the return journey back to earth began, their injuries too deep and severe for these even advanced medical beds to rectify.’ David sighed, forcing a further grim and pained nervous smile, tears forming in his eyes, ‘There will be no visit later today. Rees passed away this morning…his body just gave up, had taken too much damage.’ David drew a deep shaking breath, a tear rolling down his cheek, ‘I sat next to him as the flickering green scanning light turned to amber and then slowly red…the Trevakian medics were frantically trying to save his life…his breathing became strained and then just stopped…that was it, he was gone. They said his lungs had filled with blood…that he had suffered major internal injuries.’
David’s eyes glistened reflectively as he drew a deep breath, ‘I feel strangely honoured to have been with him in his last moments, he was not alone…no matter how futile his death was…’ His chest shook with rising emotion, ‘Rees is to be highly decorated apparently… ‘a fallen forefather of our alliance’ as one of the medics said. Apparently he saved a Trevakian’s life in the field…he will receive full military honours and one of their highest medals…his name has even been sent to their high command. As I was leaving, the admiral of this and other ships with their senior officers came to show their respects as they had just heard…they stood in honour guard, saluting him and the others as the bed lights gradually went out one by one. Then the medics…two were crying…lit scented candles next to the recently departed, a Trevakian medical tradition apparently.’
David looked at the three dumbfounded and stunned staff before him briefly, sighing as tears filled Debra’s eyes once more, Shino gritting her teeth as Riaz grimaced and looked away, ‘I counted, there are only eleven Heathrow employees left now, including us…Sam was the first to fall. Heaven only knows how many have been killed…I can’t even get information on how many joined to fight. Even Jozefina is confused and in shock after Rees’s death…too upset to say, she thinks over fifty have been killed in action at least. She doesn’t know how many came through the portal, that there was maybe another wave after hers. They have sedated her in single quarters…two others died shortly after him…it was all too much for her, they had all come through the portal together.’
He took a step back, shaking his head and indicating despondently towards the viewing window, ‘We have lost fifty or a hundred…the Trevakians have lost millions, those small Fahimians chased to virtual extinction…heaven knows how many more races brutalised or slaughtered.’ His head turned slowly, glimpsing the pained and shocked tearful stares, a determination forming across his face, teeth gritted, ‘I promised to protect our staff…I failed. I was naïve and had no idea the scope and ferocity of this war. There is nothing left on earth for me now so I will make a stand for the last beliefs I have…the least I can do is demonstrate loyalty to the few survivors…we will stand or fall together…’
The hearing resumed, the robust admiral nodding as Begum and Captain Dugachard stiffened to attention before the platform, his voice resounding across the now dimly lit room, ‘We require further details of your proposal before we make our final decision…please enlighten us…’ He waved a raised hand in encouragement, ‘Leave nothing to our imagination, I wish to know why you are so convinced we should follow this course of action…’
Begum tensed further, pulling the cloak around him as if cold, his eyes sparkling in the light, ‘Our High Lord has decreed that revenge must be ours, but I have received further instructions as to what to disclose.’ The small tanned emissary smiled faintly, sensing perhaps a willing ear to the plan, ‘These warships were deployed in orbit around our planets one by one…many of our ships were blasted from space, our orbiting and planetary fortresses and defences obliterated by their high powered weaponry. We fought bravely, but were defeated…we could not overcome the power their warships unleashed.’
He raised a small hand, one finger exposed, ‘But we were ignorant in our tactics. We believed if we defeated their soldiers in battles on our planets, the ships would withdraw…now we know otherwise.’ He drew a deep breath, ‘We must defeat their warships before liquidating their soldiers…only then will this enemy fully understand defeat…that they are beaten.’ He stepped forward slightly, eyes straining in determination as captain Dugachard drew a sharp breath for the breach of Trevakian protocol, ‘They must taste ultimate defeat…their forces crushed and at the hand of Fahimian commandoes and their allies. Destroy their greatest weapons and their belief in victory will be crushed…’
The admiral interjected, almost grinning in amazed relish, ‘But your proposal did not mention destruction…how would we destroy them?’
His eyes widened as the small figure before them stepped forward slightly once more, breaching protocol further, the cloak swept dramatically over
