Star Wars_ The New Jedi Order_ Dark Tide 02_ Ruin - Michael A. Stackpole [91]
The Yuuzhan Vong leader held up his left hand, ignoring the grinding in his shoulder. The idea that their armor fell prey to a naturally occurring element in the environment stunned him. That revelation had serious implications. The first, on a purely military level, was that now the enemy had a weapon they could employ that would seriously handicap the Yuuzhan Vong warriors. He had no doubt the enemy would use it—he would not have hesitated were he as beset as they were. Suddenly every combat situation was a potential disaster.
The second and more fundamental issue was that of biological and botanical opposition to their invasion. Ever since the invasion had been ordered, one of the motivating forces had been that the enemy were machinists. They created machines that mocked the living with their pseudolife. Their reliance on machines marked them as defective, as weak, as contemptible, and certainly as deserving of death. They were infidels, blasphemers, and heretics with no help of justification of their lives.
But now, a living thing opposes us. He shook his head ever so slightly, realizing how dangerous was the battlefield that this development could lead him to. Just as a political faction had struck prematurely to gain control of the invasion, now the priesthood could use this new opposition to strengthen their influence. While Shedao Shai had every faith in the validity of the crusade in spite of this discovery, war was a task best left to those trained to it.
His eyes narrowed. “Who knows the information you have revealed to me?”
“Just myself and those who investigated it.” The hint of a smile snaked its way across Lian’s lips. “They have been isolated. No word of this will escape.”
“Very good.” He gave his subordinate a sincere nod. “You have isolated the plant that produced this pollen?”
“The bafforr trees, which are native to the planet they call Ithor. The world is within our current invasion corridor, accessible from Garqi.” Lian lifted his chin. “I have taken the liberty of preparing a plan for the planet’s annihilation.”
“A repeat of Sernpidal’s destruction?”
Lian shook his head. “No, Commander. My researchers have assured me that they can prepare an assault weapon with which we can seed the planet. Ithor is rich in organic matter. Destroying it will be simple.”
Shedao Shai raked a talon over his own chin and down his throat, feeling it click along the folds in his leathery flesh. “Stand off the world, deliver the agent?”
“Most efficient, my leader.”
“Indeed, but wasteful.” Shedao Shai shook his head. “That is not how we will do it.”
“Why not?” Impatience flashed over Lian’s face. He flicked a hand toward the planet below. “Even the conquest of a planet like Garqi was not without casualties—and that is excepting the deaths in the garden. The infidels must be fortifying Ithor. They cannot allow us to take it from them. Fighting there will be fierce.”
The Yuuzhan Vong commander lunged at his aide and flicked a backhanded slap at the younger warrior’s throat. Lian’s hands came up, but not fast enough. The blow landed, not hard, but hard enough to drive him back a step and wring a choked gasp from him.
Lian immediately dropped to his knees and touched his forehead to the deck. “Forgive this one, leader, for angering you.” His harsh croak carried little contrition to Shedao Shai’s ears, but the fear shooting through it brought him satisfaction.
“Do you think we will be defeated in taking Ithor?”
“No, Master.”
“Do you think our warriors will shrink from the possibility of dying there?”
“No, Master.”
“Good.” Shedao Shai spun away from Lian and let his heel spurs click on the decking