The Dark Edge Chronicles - Clan War

Unexpected

"That's the last of them, Lash," Narcist reported nearly three hours later, handing the thoughtful vampire a report in Jeriko's flowing handwriting, the Storm Wolf's command of written vampiric as flawless as her command of the spoken language. Heeding the Kenyan lilith's warning, he had retreated to the base's main command center. Lash had been standing in the strategy room, nicknamed the 'war room', its clear smart glass walls forming a perfect cube set up to overlook the logistics and intelligence bullpen much like Atrix's office back in NachtFeuer, when the Ventru operator had appeared with her report.

Lash immediately began scanning down the list, turning away from the massive screens filled with intelligence and imagery from around the world, transmitted to the base's command tower from dedicated Qos Viran satellites and analyzed by the base's AI, Hunter before being displayed. As he did, Narcist went on with a verbal summation.

"Twenty eight in total, most from Asia, Europe, and Africa. But there were also two Australian liliths, one from New Zealand, and a pair from India."

"That makes their reach almost global," Dru grimly noted from where she was standing close to Lash. The Nosferatu lilith, already in Lash's company when Narcist brought the Kenyan lilith's suggestion to them, followed him deep into the heart of the hidden base where the command center was located, protected by meters of dense granite.

"That just means we'll have to work that much harder to root out this network and crush its supporters," Lash grimly noted, finally looking up from the list. Sun Witch char him, where was Amylia?

"But that's a task for another day. Today, we take care of the liliths we pulled out of the Salt Palace near Esbjerg." He looked over at the war table that dominated the strategy room's forward half. "Without me distracting them, a number of the queens have reached out to NachtFeuer to request temporary protection from the Silver Legion, or transportation to their own Conclave sanctuaries. How goes those efforts, Lord Commander Atrix?"

"We've responded to twenty two requests for protection and transport, Lord Commander Lash," Atrix replied over the comms, the Lord Commander of the Silver Legion having requested the tele-conference to discuss next steps.

"I've met with my command staff and we're already prepping several companies to be attached to the liliths that want our protection while they work on recovering their holdings. And we've reached out to the other Conclaves to see how they wish to proceed with transportation to them. Hopefully they'll send word soon."

Atrix hesitated. When she began speaking again, there was a clear note of concern in her bluff voice.

"But I must admit, my lord, that I'm troubled by a number of discoveries over and beyond what you've found. The least of which isn't how unprepared the Conclaves are to handle this kind of emergency. Our communication requests are catching them all flat footed. Not only is the situation unprecedented, it's exposing vulnerabilities in Conclave tracking systems and M'tada readiness levels across the planet. And if what you're saying is true about former Qos Viran operating this slavery ring, the M'tada as it's currently constituted, will continue to fail to protect their mistresses!"

Lash nodded, his thoughtful frown only deepening as he again paused his scan of the report to reply.

"I wish it weren't, Atrix. But I faced the vampire that claimed to have a part in running the ring, and I know the treacherous bastard. Romanescu is a backstabbing piece of filth, but he never lied while we served together. Arrogant, narcissistic, and a braggart, but not a liar. If he said he had partnered with other former Qos Viran, then that's exactly what he did."

Lash's expression tightened slightly.

"Of course he also thought I wouldn't live to share the information so, in a typically narcissistic self-congratulatory disclosure, he monologued the truth, thinking it could never come back to him." His fist abruptly clenched so tightly, the cartilage popped like gunshots going off.