The Capitan of the Asuran battle-cruiser, 'Shotan's Wrath' stood up on the command station in Command and Control and looked at his astonished crew. He stroked his short goatee and asked,"Comments and observations? Permission to speak freely." The Political Officer clenched a fist and shook it in rage and blood-lust and almost shouted,"We must strike! NOW! It IS the planet Balaam! Our ancestral home is there as our 'so-called' allies, the Scourge has said! If they just invented the Relative Inertial Frame...it is a SHORT trip to FASTER-THAN-LIGHT! We CAN'T let them escape us again!" Scanning Officed Djedet cued up an audio clip on his helmet and said, "We MUST be cautious! The planet IS quarantined with the BLIGHT! Yet, those humans AND others LIVE! This is in ITSELF is UNBELIEVABLE! The Blight is ONE HUNDRED PERCENT FATAL to all organic life! WHY do they live? We must investigate, not destroy! The Rahkoshans are ALREADY there! We cannot afford to go to war with an Elder Species." The Comm Officer tapped her hooves on the deck-plates, and said, avoiding anyone's gaze, "It IS our ancient home. Our species WAS made there by humans. It IS OURS by right of blood. We could reconnoiter, strike the Rahkoshans by surprise, and maul the entire system before the humans could mount a defence! We have the Time-Space-Matrix-Distorter weaponry that FTL gives us. Between our shield, and Maulers, and the Hypercannon--we could take the system, destroy all off-planet assets, and THEN decide what to do with the diseased world of Balaam." Capitan Baphomet nodded, and remarked,"A BOLD plan indeed--but we did use all of our anti-matter missles on Goddashim, below us. The Extermination Fleet has returned to Tartarus. Only two scout ships remain with us, and they'd be worthless against a Rahkoshan Scout ship. I can send one to Homeworld to inform the Fleet, THEN we could move against Balaam in force." The Political Officer exploded,"CAPITAN! TWO MONTHS? Are you willing to wait TWO MONTHS? We are less than HALF a day from Balaam! We can inform Homeworld and we can STRIKE! We CAN'T give them time to ARM OR ESCAPE! Djedet is a coward! Prefers to 'THINK' instead of battle!" Djedet growled at the Political Officer, as the Capitan pointed at him and ordered, "Stand Down! All of you! Comm! Inform scout-ship two, order them to inform the Fleet. The inform the crew to prepare for FTL transit to Balaam's cometary belt. We'll cloak and survey the system." The Capitan sat down and said, "Make my will maifest!" After a moment, he looked at the Scanning Officer, and asked,"Something else?" Djedet asked, "Sir? What of the other artificial species made by humans in that system?" Capitan Baphomet scowled, and answered slowly, "IF they still obey their human 'Masters'...we have NO use for tools. They'd deserve extermination, just like all humans. Djedet...I know even the skrak, with it's toxic bite has it's uses. However--humans are far too dangerous for even ONE to remain alive. Even IF they might cure the Blight, itself!" Djedet nodded, and snapped,"Yessir!" He scrambled to man his station, as the huge starship readied for transit to the lower levels of hyperspace. --TO BE CONTINUED!--