Three months later, on the Bloodbearer's Holodeck.

Thirty Kraktol, all of them led by the lone Algaru, Kilgore, battle against an army of holographic monsters. Five gigantic trolls, fifty orcs, and more than a hundred goblins and Disperra crash upon the outnumbered Kraktol like waves upon a sandy beach.

Thanks to the terrain of the simulated caves, Kilgore carefully positions his soldiers to maximize their positional advantage. They spread out in a half-circle formation, forcing their enemies into narrow chokepoints where the Kraktol with ranged weapons can pepper the monsters and Buzor with bullets while those at the front can tank the orcs for minutes at a time, relying on their heavy armor.

Most of the Kraktol opt to wear advanced Terran armor and wield ranged Terran weaponry, but Kilgore does not. He instead clutches a two-handed vibro-axe, swinging it around with incredible ferocity. The scorching hot blade lops his enemy's heads off, cleaves their bodies in half, and otherwise sets their corpses ablaze. Thanks to the Holodeck's advanced simulation capabilities, the emotions of Kilgore's orc and goblin enemies play out exactly as they would in real life. Many of them panic and flee, seeing the unstoppable, unarmored Algaru charging them.

Kilgore embeds his axe into the base of one troll's skull, melting its brains to mush. During that brief moment, his weapon snags on the troll's bone, causing his heart to skip a beat. He tries to yank the axe out, but moves a half-step too slow, allowing a pair of orcs to leap up the troll's back and slash at his exposed flank.

Blam! Blam!

Sapphire snipes the orcs from her backline position, blasting their skulls to smithereens. Her quick thinking and precise aim allows Kilgore to live another day. He nods at her, then yanks his weapon out to continue his rampage.

Minutes later, the simulation shuts off and Umi speaks from above.

"Class B+ Combat Simulation complete. Combat grade: A+. Bonus points awarded to Interim Crewmember 'Sapphire' for her timely rescue of Interim Crewmember 'Kilgore.' Bonus points awarded to Interim Crewmember Kilgore for killing fifteen enemies unassisted. All combatants have received a passing grade. Ending simulation now."

Every single Kraktol breathes a sigh of relief. They walk up to each other and clap their claws together, congratulating their teammates on their successful simulation run, one that ended with no allied casualties. Many admiring smiles follow Kilgore as he walks up to Sapphire and bows.

"Hurgh. Thank you, sister. I thoughtlessly charged the enemy's backline and nearly cost us the mission. Were this not a simulation, I might have fallen. Thankfully, you saved my tail."

Sapphire hugs her smaller Algaru brother. "It's no problem at all, Kilgy! That's what teammates are for!"

From across the hall, an older Kraktol walks up. Gorlax Stormfang, the Kraktol who once served under Orgon the Betrayer, frowns at Kilgore.

"I observed this simulation with great interest, Kilgore. Why have you opted not to wear any armor? Had those orcs struck you from behind, a decent set of Terran Power Armor would have preserved your life, if not nullified their attack entirely."

"I intend to wear armor during the final mission," Kilgore says, straightening his posture respectfully. "However, to preserve a sense of danger during these simulation, I have chosen not to wear any protective equipment. Suppose the armor's power system were to fail when we moved to attack Yama? If I relied too heavily on it, it could cost me my life. I would rather learn to rely on my own strength than weapons forged by even the best blacksmith."

Gorlax rubs the underside of his crocodilian jaw. "Graugh! I see. Your logic makes sense. Perhaps in the future I should train all of the recruits with such a mindset. In any case, I've received word from Admiral Rodriguez. He wants all the Kraktol and Kessu crew to join him on the shuttle deck in two hours. Get your team cleaned up and ready."

Sapphire's eyes light up with excitement. "Oooh, is it time? Is my Darling finally going to start the demon extermination mission?"

"I believe he will," Gorlax replies with a nod. "Graugh! Dismissed."

Gorlax turns around and departs, leaving the other Kraktol to chatter amongst each other excitedly.

Minutes later, everyone disperses to return to their quarters. Sapphire walks with a pep in her step.

"I can't wait to see my Darling! Just wait until he learns how strong I've become!"

.......................................

Two hours later, nine hundred and fifty Kraktol join more than fifty thousand Kessu in the Bloodbearer's hangar bay. Having spent the last few months not only training, but also integrating the Kessu from Tarus II into the Bloodbearer's crew, the Kessu's numbers have shot into the stratosphere. With so many cats and crocs packed into one area, hundreds of them opt to climb atop nearby parked transport ships for a birds-eye view, while the friendlier Kessu ride atop the shoulders of their new Kraktol friends.

Despite the Kraktol's attack on Tarus II half a year earlier, a collective air of unfamiliarity no longer lingers, allowing most of them to look at each other without prejudice. Still, many Kessu keep to themselves and stare at the Kraktol distrustfully, especially those who directly lost family members to the Kraktol's attack.

It doesn't take long before a wave of cheers erupts from the ship's southern end. Admiral Rodriguez strolls through the assembled crowd with his first and second officers, Megla and Soren, in tow. Along with them, Drall Brighteye walks beside the Admiral, nodding discreetly at his subordinates.

When the group of four reaches the front, the crowd falls silent. Some Kraktol and Kessu whisper quietly to one another, but for the most part, everyone focuses their attention on the Terran Precursor.

"Hello, everyone," José Rodriguez says. "As I'm sure you've heard, today's meeting is intended to prep for the attack on Emperor Yama and the Buzor lurking beneath Tarus II's surface. I've spent the past few months working with Lord Drall on various potential avenues of attack, and as of a few days ago, we've finally reached a consensus on the operation going forward."

José holds his left hand in front of himself, then aims his palm upward. He transmits a mental command to Umi, who then summons a miniature holographic image of Tarus II above his palm.

The Admiral uses his right hand to manipulate the image, expanding the hologram as required to zoom into the same mountain range where his original body perished months before.

"Umi has dropped dozens of seismic scanning devices all across a one hundred mile zone surrounding the mountain range. I'm going to refer to them by the Kessu's chosen name; the 'Emerald Peaks.' The Emerald Peaks extend five miles from east to west, with the most noteworthy cave entrance located on the southern side, near Patriarch Nyoor's former village. However, it would be incredibly foolhardy for us to restrict ourselves to advancing upon only this one entryway, and that is why today's meeting is so important."

José continues. "Based upon Umi's seismic scans, the caves we uncovered extend for more than twenty miles below the planet's surface. Any planetary bombardment we might attempt can only penetrate roughly five miles below the surface without drastically affecting the surrounding ecology or creating a planetwide disaster. While I must stress the importance of slaying the Demon Emperor Yama, I also see no good reason to needlessly glass such a lush and beautiful world as Tarus II. There aren't many planets in the Milky Way with such a rich and diverse ecosystem, so I would prefer not to accidentally cause an ecological collapse during this operation."

The Admiral turns to his right and nods. "Soren."

His Second Officer, Soren Mudrose, steps forward while folding her claws behind her back. "This mission is time-sensitive. We don't know Yama's whereabouts, and so we can only hope that he has remained underground. However, the moment we alert Yama, he will become capable of escaping our attack. Our goal is to kill this Demon Emperor, not the Buzor or the monsters under Yama's employ. If a million of them die but Yama escapes, this mission will have been in vain. To that end, we need to rush in at full speed and use all of Admiral Rodriguez's Terran weaponry to slaughter anyone in our path."

She continues. "Firstly, this mission will take place shortly after the first light of dawn. So long as sunlight beats upon the planet's surface, Yama will not be able to escape easily. His powers involve the manipulation of shadows, and as such, he suffers when exposed to sunlight and photonic radiation. Speaking of which, Megla?"

Soren turns to her sister. Megla nods and continues from where Soren left off. "Kyargh! This is the fun part, so listen well! The Admiral has a whole bunch of awesome weapons at his disposal, and we're going to use them to their fullest extent. Before we make landfall, the Bloodbearer will fire two barrages of carefully targeted missiles at the planet's surface. The first salvo will consist of bunker-buster missiles, each capable of boring deep into the planet's surface. These missiles feature a two-stage detonation sequence. The first fires a molten payload in a specified direction, instantly boring a hole five miles deep. The second stage releases a wave of freezing-cold liquid, which expands and hardens, leaving the newly-bored hole permanently open and rendering it all-but-immune to geological collapse."

Pausing for half a moment, Megla grins. "I call it the Blast 'n Glass Charge. It blasts a hole, then glasses it to give us a direct path to the mountain's depths."

Several Kraktol grin wickedly, imagining the 'fun' they could have with such an incredible weapon.

"Unbelievable..." Gorlax mutters, positioned near the front of the First Group. "A weapon that can instantly bore tunnels down into a planet's surface. In all my years, I've never heard of such a ridiculous device..."

At Megla's mention of the device, her father, Drall, stands a little more upright. A hint of greed appears in his eyes.

If I were to recover some of this Terran weaponry and bring it back to Loreen, she would certainly reward me greatly. The Kraktol Empire could easily overpower those wretched Mallali, putting our people on the political map! It seems I was right to offer the Terran my assistance. He may even become somewhat indebted to me following this operation.

After a moment's contemplation, Drall's eyes lose a bit of their luster. His greedy gaze turns somewhat malevolent.

Of course, under even better circumstances, with my daughter as his First Officer, would it not benefit me more if the Admiral were to perish during this operation? In that case, the Kraktol would gain control of this mighty vessel, making us the mightiest sentients in the entire galaxy! Hmm...

Lord Drall keeps his thoughts silent. He listens intently as Megla continues.

"Kyargh! After we Blast 'n Glass a few dozen entrances to the planet's depths, we'll follow up with some specially designed missiles the Admiral built himself. Admiral?"

She returns the discussion to José, allowing him to follow up. "While it is true that our primary goal during this mission does not involve slaying as many Buzor or monsters as possible, that doesn't mean they are not our enemies. They will certainly put up a fierce fight, and so, we shall slaughter many of them as an afterthought. I'm sure this goes without saying, but these heretics gave safe harbor to an enemy to all sentient life. Do not allow even a drop of pity for them to enter your hearts, as their protection of a Demon Emperor means they have forsaken their rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Ramma's Creed, the code I spent my entire life upholding, dictates that no heretics must be allowed to roam the galaxy. Even if it costs me my soul, I will give up anything so long as it means exterminating Yama. While you are here following my orders, I will expect the same of you."

The Admiral pauses, then cocks his head. "That being said, please do not take any unnecessary risks. If the only choice before me is to sacrifice this entire ship to slay Yama, then so be it and I shall... but for this particular operation, I do not see any situation of that severity occurring. Protect your comrades, rely upon the teamwork you've fostered, and put your skills to the test."

José waves his hand, causing the image of the Emerald Mountains to shift again, this time revealing dozens of holes bored into its sides.

"After we release the Boring Charges, we will follow up with Photonic Concussion Missiles. These will fly into the bored holes, detonate at the bottom, and release intense bursts of solar energy into the planet's depths. Any being in the immediate area shall have their eyes melted and their brains fried, but even if the light itself doesn't strike them, the photonic radiation will. The radiation will travel through even a mile of dense bedrock, irradiating their eyes and causing permanent blindness. Following the photonic energy release, a two hundred decibel shockwave will blast outward, shattering the eardrums of any souls within a three mile radius of the detonation zones. After both stages complete, that is when we can move in."

José traces several lines through the air, making all of them fall from the Bloodbearer's orbit to the mountain range below. "Drop teams will deploy, each comprised of fifty Kraktol and one hundred Kessu. With your enemies having lost their senses, the initial rush should prove simple. Move forward, kill anything in your path, and search for Yama. I can only hope that the photonic radiation will kill him right from the start, but it's likely he will survive. His Shades are far less hardy than him, and so I suspect huge numbers of them will have already perished by the time each team arrives. Search for their demonic miasma; it will show up as pitch-black residue on the walls, ceiling, and floors, each drop capable of absorbing the light around it."

One Kraktol in the Third Group raises his hand. "Graugh! Err, pardon me, Admiral, but... I did not realize the Kessu would join us on this mission."

"Yes, they will," José says, giving the speaker a once-over. "Have you forgotten? Tarus II is their home. It is their duty to fight and protect it. If you think these short little fluffballs are too 'weak' to join you in direct combat, I'll set up a combat match with Ruuki, where you can find out for yourself just how wrong you are."

Ruuki, standing off to the side with many other Kessu, raises his paw. "Mraww! How about it, 'scales'? Wanna go a round with this here itty-bitty kitty?"

The Kraktol's scales flush with embarrassment. "Err, no. Graugh! Forgive me. I spoke out of turn."

José chuckles. "I'll have you know that Ruuki has recently improved his skills. He duked it out with Grundle and managed to win one of the recent matchups in a hunting simulation, after two consecutive losses. The Kessu might not be 'quite' as amazing in direct combat as the Kraktol, but they don't fall far behind either. He's no pushover, and you'll be lucky to have him on your side."

The Admiral's words cause a stir of frenzy among the Kraktol, causing some of them to look at the tiger-striped Kessu with wary eyes. Having recently competed against Grundle, Kilgore, and the other officers, they know just how difficult beating them can be. Grundle in particular has seen the sharpest improvement in his skills compared to the rest, now standing within the Second Group of Kraktol elites after starting in the very last position.

Clearing his throat, José continues. "Once we reach the deepest region possible, each assault group will have to move autonomously. Umi will guide you as best she can, but the Bloodbearer's scanners cannot penetrate the planet's crust due to a few... irregularities. You will have to seek out the Demon Emperor, pinpoint his location, and guide the other teams to your position. Under no circumstance are any teams to deliberately combat the Demon Emperor on their own. He is far too dangerous for you to fight without my assistance. If he attacks you first, switch to the defensive strategies Megla taught you and wait for reinforcements. Pick off any Shades he might have guarding him, but otherwise keep your distance."

"We only have twelve hours to complete this operation," Soren says. "Once the sun begins to set, Yama can flee anywhere on the planet that he likes. He may have already hidden himself elsewhere; we don't know. We can only hope that his arrogance, recorded in Admiral Rodriguez's memories, is just as prominent as it was one hundred million years ago."

One Kessu, the young boy named Rags, raises his hand.

"Yes?" Soren says, turning to look at him.

"...What if he did escape already?" Rags asks. "Then... won't all this be a big waste of time? Will we have to search the whole planet for him?"

José lowers his head. A strange look enters his eyes.

"...If Demon Emperor Yama did, indeed, already escape to some other location on Tarus II... then I'm afraid our only remaining option will be to sterilize the planet from orbit."

With those words, the room falls silent. Several Kraktol gaze at the Admiral with looks of surprise, while others merely frown, uncertain what he means.

"S-sterilize?" Rags asks.

"We will erase all life on the planet's surface, as well as within its depths," José replies. "I will perform a Type 3 Planetary Bombardment. I will unleash one hundred and fourteen different types of lethal radiation across every continent, turn every ocean to acid, and forcibly empower the planet's geological movements. Volcanos will simultaneously erupt at fifty different locations, creating a runaway greenhouse effect. I may even go so far as to disperse the planet's atmosphere, depending on Umi's predictions."

Elder Nyoor's paws tremble. He steps forward while leaning heavily on his walking stick. "G-Great Precursor... surely... surely such a reckless action should not be attempted! This world is my home. Our home! Have we no say in its future? What of the creatures which rely upon its shelter? What of our culture and memories? Why must we go to such terrible lengths just to kill this one solitary enemy?"

Baaru's eyes harden with anger. "My husband speaks the truth! Mraww! Great Precursor, don't you think such a horrific act of evil is going too far?! You speak of the evils this 'Yama' can unleash, but how could they be any worse than destroying a world filled with sentient life?!"

"I would, of course, take steps to rescue as much of the planet's biodiversity and transplant it onto another world," José says. "In the event that I decided a planetary bombardment was our only option, please rest assured I would not immediately slaughter every creature thoughtlessly. I would follow the first law of Terran Ethics and seek to preserve as much of Tarus II's ecosystem as possible. The planet's moon, Kelkin; it could be terraformed to serve as a new home for your people. The Bloodbearer does possess files pertaining to terraforming devices, and as such, given time, we could construct a fleet of drones capable of turning Kelkin into a second home for Tarus II's residents."

"That doesn't matter!" Baaru exclaims. "A home is not merely a place we recognize, or a world that allows us to breathe, sleep, and eat! It... it's more than that! So much more! I cannot in good conscience allow you to destroy our entire world in pursuit of your revenge!"

Hearing the Matriarch's anger, José hesitates. "...Baaru. I do not wish to glass your planet any more than you wish to see it glassed. To say it would be my last resort is to understate how little I want that terrible fate to occur. Rest assured, I will go to any length to prevent that from happening."

"So you say..." Baaru hisses. "But haven't you said that this Yama fellow cannot travel offworld anyway? He's as good as trapped here!"

"Actually," Lord Drall interjects, "that isn't true, Matriarch Baaru. Based upon what Admiral Rodriguez has told us, in the past, Emperor Yama once lived on a completely different world. Somehow, he traveled here, to Tarus II. While demons may be incapable of space travel, that does not mean they couldn't hitch a ride with another space-faring civilization. Were a random Mallali ship to travel here, Yama might stow away and infiltrate the Mallali Core Worlds."

José shoots a look of gratitude in Drall's direction, then continues. "If we fail to exterminate Yama, then I will work with the Kessu to explore other options. For now, let's shelve the talk of planetary bombardment to focus on more useful measures. Megla, why don't you go ahead and give everyone the rundown on who will enter which group?"

Megla nods. "Yes, Admiral."

She launches into a Q&A segment, explaining to the various Kessu and Kraktol present who will enter each of the twenty-something assault groups. As she does, José quietly exits stage left, leaving the rest of the meeting to her, Soren, and Lord Drall.

After the Terran departs, a flicker of motion catches José's attention. He looks down at his feet, where he spots little Lele jumping up and down. "Big Baldy! Big Baldy!"

Admiral Rodriguez drops to his knees to pet her furry head. "What's up, kiddo?"

"Um..." Lele says, hesitating for a moment. "When are you going to bring the rest of the Kessu here? I've been waiting and waiting, but I still haven't seen my Aunt Lorrie!"

José cocks his head. "What do you mean? We've already rescued every Kessu on Tarus II's surface. Your aunt should already be here, Lele."

"Nuh-uh! She isn't!" Lele exclaims, stomping her foot in frustration. "She's still down there! I know she is!"

Confused, José raises his head to look at the ceiling. "Umi? Are there any other Kessu left on Tarus II?"

"Negative, Admiral," Umi beeps. "I have performed several scans for biological life on the planet's surface. All 54,362 Kessu that I detected three months ago have been accounted for."

"But that's not right!" Lele yells. "My aunt Lorrie isn't here. I've asked everyone, and nobody's seen her! She has to be down there!"

As if realizing something awful, José's eyes darken. "Oh. Um, well... I'm sorry, Lele. If your aunt isn't here, then... perhaps, during the Kraktol's first attack, she might have..."

"No, no, no! Definitely not. My Aunt Lorrie is awesome, remember?" Lele asks. "Big Baldy! I told you all about her. She taught me all kinds of things. She has a bunch of neat gadgets and devices; she's not like my grandpa, my grandma, or my daddy, either. She's really smart!"

José shakes his head. "Sorry, Lele... but I don't know what you're talking about. I've never heard of your Aunt Lorrie before."

"Yeah, you have!" Lele meows. "Remember? It was when you... you... oh. That's right. You lost your memory..."

Lele's ears fall flat. She bows her head to stare at the floor.

"Mraww... Big Baldy... my aunt can't be dead. She's still alive, I know it."

José starts to reply, but Umi interrupts him. "With all due respect, Admiral, it is possible the child is correct. My scanners cannot penetrate the planet's bedrock wherever the Trifrancium deposits interfere, so if we were to assume Crewmember Lele's relative had, for some reason, traveled underground... I would not be able to detect her biological signature."

"Oh?" José grunts. "So you're saying she might be down there? But why?"

"Error. I do not have enough data to complete a preliminary assessment," Umi says. "Given the Buzor and Yama's hostility toward the Kessu, I find it unlikely that Crewmember Lele's relative would seek refuge there, but I also lack information regarding her personal circumstances."

"Very true..." José mutters. He pats Lele's head gently and smiles. "Err, that must be it, then. I don't know why, but maybe your aunt hid underground. You know... to escape the Kraktol! That's probably what happened. I'll tell everyone to keep their eyes peeled for her and other Kessu during the assault."

Lele perks up, and flicks her ears. "Okay! I'm sure she's alive, Big Baldy. My aunt Lorrie is really really smart! She has all sorts of cool stuff that might even surprise you!"

"Haha. I hope that's true," José says, smiling. "If we find her, I'll invite her aboard. Then you can spend all day learning from her. Won't that be fun?"

"Yeah! Yeah! Meow!"

José picks up Lele and gives her a piggyback ride as he heads toward the Mess Hall. Despite the kitten's happy smile, the Admiral's face grows more placid and tranquil.

Poor Lele. The chances her aunt is still alive are practically zero. I hope if we uncover the worst it won't break her little heart...

Admiral Rodriguez shakes his head, not daring to speak his thoughts aloud.

No child should have to suffer the horrors of war.