Scattered Suns - Kevin J. Anderson [227]
Udru’h shrugged. “They are traitors, Liege. They deserve whatever punishment you deem fit. We must remove the mad Designate’s disease before the Ildiran people can heal.”
“I will not consider that. There would be too many casualties, people who do not deserve to die. I will use my own powers instead.”
Zan’nh looked from his father on the screen to his uncle beside him. He hated Udru’h’s suggestion, yet berated himself for having been unwilling to make such a horrific decision when he first encountered Rusa’h’s crusade of corruption. He was not qualified to offer an opinion on the issue.
The Dobro Designate did not back down. “Liege, you cannot be everywhere at once. Did you not dispatch Osira’h to communicate with the hydrogues? You should be back in Mijistra waiting for her. Our Empire faces a much larger crisis if she is unable to break through to the hydrogues. Your time here is limited.”
Jora’h finally answered in a low voice, “I know, Udru’h. I have my fastest ships waiting for the moment I hear from Osira’h. If she brings the hydrogues, I will have to leave here...but it has been days. I am beginning to fear the worst.”
“It is Osira’h, Liege. Do not fear yet,” Udru’h said. “But if you are forced to leave, then you must authorize Adar Zan’nh and myself to do what we must to put an end to the corrupt thism.”
At the Mage-Imperator’s order, Zan’nh’s ship and two other warliners made their way to the expansive new spaceport. From below, Rusa’h’s rebels used their converted weapons to open fire on the Solar Navy ships, launching explosive projectiles. Feeling the impacts against the warliner’s armor, Zan’nh closed his eyes, but did not hesitate. “Return fire and remove the threat from the ground.”
The weapons officer looked at him. “Kill them, Adar?”
His eyes snapped open. “Yes! Remove the threat before they harm our ships.”
A burst of energy weapons from the lead warliner swiftly vaporized the handful of deluded fighters on the ground. Zan’nh watched, caught his breath, then said in a voice as hard as iron, “Now, land our ships and proceed with the Mage-Imperator’s orders.”
His warliner settled onto the landing grid beside a group of overloaded cargo vessels, every one of them full of fresh shiing to be used in the spreading rebellion. The Mage-Imperator’s ship followed, landing off to one side.
“Udru’h, disembark and accompany me,” Jora’h transmitted. “I want all soldiers from two warliners to follow me on the ground. We will surround the citadel palace and force our way forward until we seize the stronghold.”
“Those closest to Rusa’h will be the most strongly tied to his corrupt thism, Liege. They may not wish to be freed,” the Adar cautioned.
“Then our ground troops may have no choice but to kill some of them. We will save those that we can, but for Rusa’h there will be no forgiveness. He is certainly aware of what he has done. He must pay for his crimes.”
“And what are my orders, Liege?” Zan’nh asked.
“Take the rest of the warliners and destroy the shiing. All of it.”
Adar Zan’nh dispatched a dismantling crew to break open the waiting cargo ships on the landing field. Well-muscled soldiers and cargo workers removed packages of powdered shiing and dumped the processed plantmoth sap in a growing mound on the landing field.
“Burn it,” Zan’nh said. “Destroy it.”
Leaving a large team to finish ransacking the cargo ships and destroying the stockpile of the processed drug, the Adar returned to his ship and joined the other warliners overhead. “Raze the plantmoth fields, obliterate the nialia vines, turn everything to ash. From now on, that land must be used for food crops.”
As the group of warliners cruised away from the spaceport, Zan’nh looked around the command nucleus. His officers remained reticent, fighting through veils of guilt for having allowed themselves to be dragged into his unwise rebellion. “Take care not to hurt anyone