"We will attack from both the southern border and the North East, entering by surprise. They won't be expecting us to come over the mountains," Commander Dugar stated with confidence. He repositioned his cuff links while scanning the room, filled with his military peers.

   "Commander," stated Officer Liara. “Your plan would require us to cross the Xżyberian Mountain Range..... undetected, correct?" Liara asked, trying to conceal her lack of faith in Dugar's plan.

    "Yes, Officer Liara?" Commander Dugar asked. "What is your concern?" His eyes scanned her up and down, disapprovingly.

    Hoping that one of the other officers would speak up in support, Liara looked around at her comrades. However, they remained silent. "Umm...it's just that..." Liara started. "We would have to turn off all of our surveillance and communication devices in order to be undetectable, and given the unpredictability of the terrain… I am just concerned about the fleet taking that route without the ability to keep their systems on...Sir."

    Commander Dugar's face looked as though he had swallowed something bitter. This was the last quarter of his first term as Commander, and things weren't going that well for him. With one military blunder already under his belt, he needed a successful and aggressive win in order to get nominated for a second term. He had very little appreciation for Liara's expressed lack of faith in his proposal, especially now. If for no other reason, Liara's father had expressed interest in running for the position of Commander for the upcoming term, making it counterproductive to take Liara's advice, even if Commander Dugar knew she was right.

   "Any concerns from anyone else...anyone?" Commander Dugar said, avoiding further eye contact with Officer Liara. Liara stepped forward.

     "We can't put the fleet in danger by trying to cross the mountain ranges unequipped, Commander," she said, her voice now bolder than before.

   "Step back in line, officer," Commander Dugar said sternly, his teeth visibly clenched.

     "Yes, ......Sir," she said, hesitantly. She knew that without the support of the other officers, it was pointless. Although she felt the plan was rife with potential disaster, and wanted others to speak up, for their own reasons, her comrades would not dare question Dugar. Officer Hace was new to the group and was still trying to curry favor with Dugar. Officer Bloon had recently completed a five-month disciplinary program for insubordination against his division supervisor, and was recently accepted back into the force only as a favor to his father, a retired general of the Southern fleet. His father's constant reminders that any more infractions would disgrace their family's reputation kept Bloon silent. Even Senior Officer Nucrist, second in command to Dugar, stood in silent agreement, as though some prior bargain had been made to not outwardly question Dugar's plans- no matter how flawed. Then there was Thai, an officer who was once betrothed to Liara, and with whom she now shares an awkward friendship. Thai had also decided to leave Dugar's plan unchallenged.

    "So, we have a plan, then," the Commander said, pointing back up to the map. He then turned off his screen presentation, smiling with satisfaction. "All uncrewed, and crewed units, must be fully prepared to head out by Season 2, and as you all know...that doesn’t give us much time. There will be no exceptions, and no excuses for not being ready. Only the sick will be exempt from being deployed. Please prepare your troops accordingly, and make sure they are all registered with Team Command before they report to their HAS stations for further training. Dismissed!"

    "Thank, Sir," said multiple officers, as they began to disperse. Officer Liara stormed out of the room.

     "Liara...," Officer Thai said, rushing up to her. Then, with a smile, he stepped in closer. However, Liara turned swiftly and walked away. "Hey!" Thai said, trying to grab her by the arm. "Why are you mad at me?"

     "For not speaking up!" snapped Liara. "His plan is dangerous, and will likely cause casualties. many casualties!" she continued. Thai, quietly enjoyed the way Liara furrowed her brow when she was angry, reminding him of the many times he was successful in turning her frowns to laughter. He had known Liara since they attended military training, where they graduated at the top of their class. As their friendship and mutual admiration deepened over the years, so did Liara's attachment to Thai. The pair eventually asked Thai's father to sponsor the installation of emotional simulation software in Thai, to match what had been installed in Liara many years prior. However, his father's military career aspirations for his son did not include spending resources on expanding Thai's emotional capabilities. He found Liara's need for emotions unnecessary, and only sanctioned a minor upgrade in Thai's software, allowing him to experience a profound physical attraction for Liara and disproportionate jealousy towards anyone who won Liara's attention. However, he was incapable of showing compassion for others, and his complete obsession with combat, rendered him primarily a killing machine. He was just what his father wanted.

       As Liara stood there fuming, Thai quietly admired her chocolate skin, perfectly sculpted face, and large green eyes.

     "If any officers can lead a fleet through the mountains, we can," Thai said, attempting to reassure her.

      "Thai, no one has ever attempted to invade the central region by way of the ranges. They're too rugged." Liara insisted.

      "The only reason why it hasn't been done before, Liara, is because there hasn't been an imperative to do it, like there is now,” replied now. “King Thio, and his royal thugs have turned the Central Kingdom into a growing threat that will impact all of us-- even here in the Sub-median region!”  Liara sighed impatiently.

        "Agreed,” she replied. “But the Central Kingdom is not an imminent threat to us here! We can afford more time to develop a more thoughtful plan of attack!"

        "Imminent? No," agreed Thai. "Definite? Yes. We already know that he is planning on expanding his Kingdom out towards the east, an area that you and I both know is rich in natural resources. If the Central Kingdom gets the east, the sub-median region doesn't. And all the precious metals, Teal oil, natural gases, and crystals that are freely available to us now will soon be under the control of the CK - unless we stop them."

         "How did you know about that?" Asked Liara, impatiently.

          "My father informed me last night, after his meeting over at Team Command," responded Thai. Liara looked down, searching for a response. Thai's explanation gave her greater appreciation for the importance of Dugar's mission, but did not explain its urgency. She looked up at Thai, her eyes narrowed and skeptical. Thai met her gaze straight on.

     "Look, I get it," continued Thai. "It's really risky. We'll probably lose some of our fleet. But the benefits still outweigh the risks. Thio's forces aren't monitoring the mountains, because they're thinking like your thinking - that nobody would ever attempt to cross over them. They're expecting us to attack the Southern border, which we will. But, it's a surprise invasion through the mountains that will take them off guard, and give us the advantage that we need, Liara.” Although she understood Thai's position, and could see the benefit of a surprise invasion, she knew that the mission was not suited for everyone on the fleet.

    "Thai..," Liara began, sighing deeply. “Our troops are not trained to travel through areas like that! Even though Dugar’s plan is to deploy in Season 2, when it’s warmer, it will still be too cold in the mountains, and the threat of storms wiping out most of the fleet is going to be very very high. I still say we need a more well-thought-out plan, that won't destroy half of us!" Thai's face became expressionless.

         "Us?" he asked, rubbing his chin. "There is no 'us' to be concerned about, Liara. We're Mollards, remember? Cold weather and storms can't break us." he said, laughing arrogantly. Thai's large muscles and tall well-constructed frame was a testament to the efficiency of his design, and paired well with what Liara believed was his distilled obsession with war. Yet still, the manner in which he moved, the sound of his voice, and his clear silver eyes also mapped well to Liara's ongoing and inconvenient affection for him.

         "Thai, please don't forget that half of my fleet are still mostly organic," said Liara. “Organic matter, being what it is, just isn't as resilient, remember? Parts take months to grow back! If defeating the CK is that crucial, then we can't afford that kind of downtime."

     Thai, who is 100 percent Mollard showed little deference for non-Mollards, and often regarded them as burdens to the fleet. The benefit to Team Command however, was that partly organic fleet members were a dime a dozen. Very few military leaders in the Sub-Median Region valued them as much as they did the highly efficient Mollards. Non-Mollards were therefore happy to take the jobs they were given - at any offered rate, and within any field that was willing to hire them. Non-Mollards having little loyalty to a specific group or region, were the most loyal to those who paid them the most in Teal oil, a substance critical to their survival.

    "The only 'us' I'm concerned about is the 'us' that's not gonna hold us back!" Thai said, harshly. "I can't do anything about those half-evolved Non-Mollard freaks that we unfortunately have on some of our fleets. The sight of their flesh disgusts me, and I'd be happy to put them out of their misery if it weren't a crime. Besides, they're not loyal to us. They're just working for food."

     Thai walked away from Liara. Liara took the opportunity to recall why their relationship had failed.