ElnorseFall

Chapter Twenty-Three

       "I'm listening." I crossed my arms while looking between the two of them, waiting for whoever was going to speak first. The second my eyes fell on Sovren, he spoke up.

"We don't have the power to face them head-on, not with a mothership hovering above us." He smirked, "So we don't."

"Explain." I tilted my head curiously. This time, it was Rain who spoke up, making exaggerated gestures with his hands as he continued for Sovren.

"We were talking to Ravaphalor. That facility you told us about? It's new. It's their only current command center on this planet. It's their only communication with the mothership. Without that command center, their authority will fall apart."

"It will send the soldiers in command of the camps into chaos." I thought out loud. Rain and Sovren nodded their heads enthusiastically.

"Those soldiers will be called back to protect that facility." Sovren explained. "And the prisoners will have an opening to rebel against them. We just need a way to let them know without exposing our plans."

"That intel Elnorsefall's sending up is vital, Empress. If we go for it, then we'll not only give the prisoners a chance, but we could make a real difference in this war." There was a hope in Rain's eyes, a hope I wanted to believe in. It could work, it was risky, but this entire mission was. I couldn't back out now.

"And how would we let the prisoners know when to rebel? We would need them all to attack at once in order for it to be effective." I asked skeptically. I wanted to believe this would be easy, but nothing with Elnorsefall was ever easy. "We don't even know the location of all the camps, and we would need to get in contact with them without alerting Elnosefall of our presence. An encrypted message perhaps?"

"Yes, in the tongue of the locals." Rain suggested. "They know their home best; they will know the camp locations."

"If they choose to do nothing..." I murmured, but Sovren was already shaking his head.

"They will act, Empress."

"But if they don't." I insisted on an answer. I couldn't put our trust in them. I would not put our survival in their hands.

He sighed, "They have been imprisoned, tortured, and thrown to the side on their own planet. I don't believe they'll care about the consequences of fighting back. The Ovidō are clever beings, when the opportunity arises, they will not hesitate."

"So you believe." I accused, narrowing my eyes. I sighed again. It had so many ifs, but what choice did we have? "For our sake and theirs, I hope you are right."

"Empress, it will work." Sovren said desperately, locking eyes with me. I stared back, daring him to doubt himself. To my relief, he didn't. I trusted his confidence. Nodding, I turned my attention back to Rain, who waited patiently for me to address him.

"Then we should prepare to travel, shouldn't we?" I asked.

Rain nodded again, "This is the best option we have, but..."

"What?" I demanded, and he shifted his weight from left to right.

"If there's another option... You informed us earlier that there's a possibility that the intel could be gained without having to take the risk." He searched my eyes for signs of hope.

"It's not possible. Even if we did, there's no way to keep the intel without sending it to our mothership. And that would expose us." I replied with a huff. I wished I could've given them more reassuring answers. Rain and Sovren gave each other a knowing look.