"Now, let's begin the day's lessons."
Those around them rustled as they tapped the desks in front of them, bringing up holoscreens as they began to take notes.
It quickly became apparent why Wren was so revered by the initiates and why Rheya had seemed so interested at the prospect of an apprenticeship under him. He held a strategic mind, his observations of long-ago battles insightful and revealing.
The Tuann, it seemed, were no strangers to conflict. Their Houses showed a propensity for descending into war over what, to Kira, seemed like inconsequential matters.
"What have you learned from the engagement during the fourth feud between House Danai and House Asanth?" Wren asked, finished depicting a pitched space battle between the two Houses.
"Not to leave your supply bases unguarded?" Aeron said with a lilt in his voice, making his statement a question.
Wren nodded. "That is one conclusion. What else?"
The initiates looked at each other, none willing to volunteer their opinions. Wren was a harsh critic, more inclined to point out the fallacy of a comment than praise it.
His gaze found Kira's. She tensed, knowing what he was going to do before he did it. "Kira, you've been quiet."
Raider hid his snicker beside her. Blue's shoulders shook suspiciously on Kira's other side as she ducked her head, pretending to take notes on the tablet in front of her.
"Perhaps you have something to add," he said.
Kira was quiet for several seconds, her gaze lingering on the battle simulation that was still running. "I suppose you could also conclude that any decision you make needs to make sense in both the short and long-term. What might be advantageous today may lead to your defeat in the future. Long and short-term planning are necessary for the survival of any combat force."
Wren's face was expressionless, his gaze flat. After several seconds, he inclined his head. "Very good. Now, can we think of any other battles that demonstrate this concept?"
Rheya held her hand up. "I can."
Wren gestured for her to take his place. She stood and walked over to the stone table, spending several seconds fiddling with her wrist unit.
Her eyes met Kira's.
"This should be good," Raider muttered.
A hologram began to form over the table, a familiar planet and moon surrounded by an armada of ships.
Rheya took a deep breath, her chin lifting as she indicated the hologram. "I think the battle of Rothchild, where humans lost nearly a quarter of their ships for a non-crucial target, demonstrates this concept."
Raider looked down. "Well, fuck."
A pin dropping could have been heard as all eyes swiveled toward Kira, checking her reaction. Her expression was blank, numbness spreading through her.
She hadn't expected them to take this tactic as a means to hurt her. Rheya was smarter than Kira had given her credit for. And more ambitious. Kira would have to remember that.
"I take it from Raider's reaction, she chose an emotionally charged battle," Jin guessed.
His presence in her mind was muted, which meant he wasn’t seeing out of her eyes.
"It's Rothchild," she whispered.
There was an audible indrawn breath.
"Oh, Kira. I'm sorry," Jin finally said.
Kira didn't respond. She couldn't; her throat was thick with heartbreak. Shards of ice expanded across her chest, deadening everything it touched.
She was right there again, a Tsavitee war party appearing out of nowhere. Her friends too far away for her to help. Knowing there was nothing she could do to change what was coming.
Feeling the ship's internal screams as the CSS Vega broke apart, watching the moon disintegrate from a plan she'd put into action, its debris shredding their ships along with the enemies’.
Kira inhaled slowly, forcing herself to count to three before exhaling. When she'd finished, she did it again and again until she'd stuffed all those emotions in their boxes.
Rothchild was a very long time ago. How long would it take until a simple mention of its name no longer affected her this severely?
"That's it, Kira. She wants a reaction. Don't give her one," Jin coaxed.
Kira hummed softly, letting Jin know without words she appreciated his support.
She focused. The woman shifted nervously, suddenly not seeming so confident under the hostile gazes of the two at her side as she had moments before.
Wren waited, his body tense. When Kira didn't do anything, he relaxed. "Rheya, I assume you have data to back up your conclusion."
She nodded, recovering a modicum of her confidence. She gestured, and the scene shifted, the ships starting to move. "Human media claims this battle was the turning point of their war. I don't understand why. I’ve created a simulation of the battle based on reports and footage I found."
She expanded the planet, clicking through so the audience was treated to several shots of its terrain. Snow-covered mountains, continents threaded with thousands of rivers.
Rothchild had seventy-four percent landmass. The primary form of water came from snow caps and the glaciers that riddled its poles.
A humble city took shape, the buildings simple, most not even topping three stories. The planet was still in the early days of settlement. They hadn't bothered with beauty and form when building their cities and towns, more concerned with function and efficiency.
"From what I could find, there was little in the way of strategic resources that needed protecting. There was no obvious tactical value in this colony," Rheya continued.
The hologram expanded to the moon and the armada of ships. Four destroyers, each housing nearly a thousand soldiers, escorting one large carrier craft.
"What about the lives of three million souls?" Blue challenged.
Rheya paused. "Humanity claims they were in a fight to prevent their annihilation. Three million lives do not justify crippling your fleet, no matter how difficult a decision such as that would be."
It was easy for Rheya to say. Three million lives of her own people hadn’t been at stake.
In the simulation, five dots separated from the human ships, streaking across space away from the planet and its moons. Shortly after, several Tsavitee warships, all elite or superior class, moved into view.
Kira's hand clenched on the desk as she took a slow breath, knowing what would happen next.
Two of the destroyers moved out of formation, one taking the lead as they raced for the dots.
"Rather than tightening their formation, several of the human ships broke away, weakening their defenses." Rheya tapped one of the dots, expanding it to reveal a humanoid figure clad in military-grade body armor, standing aboard a device that shared a resemblance to the surfboards of humanity's past. Bulkier than Tuann synth armor, the military combat armor insulated the wearer against space while providing a thin protection against projectiles. It wouldn't stop most missile armament, but it might deflect shrapnel, proving useful when in close combat.
The board looked like a bristling hedgehog, rail guns and rockets strapped all around it, containers housing ammo rounds on its underside.
It was a crazy way to fight, yet surprisingly effective against the Tsavitee. Life expectancy for a waverunner pilot wasn't great, but there had been no shortage of volunteers willing to risk their lives on them.
"I can only conclude their actions were to protect these five," Rheya said. "Though why you would send five craft of this size up against a Tsavitee warcraft, I can't guess."