And yet…the humans had so much. They had barely developed a space program – and smashing what they’d had in space had been easy, far easier than he’d allowed himself to anticipate – but their civilians had so much. They all seemed to have their own means of transport, their own computers, their own links to the human computer network that was proving so hard to shut down…they had so much, and his people had so little. The Takaina had access to the endless wealth of space; they
Human religions, according to the researchers, discouraged thinking. That was alien to the Takaina – literally. They needed their warriors as dangerous as possible and that meant training them to think and react to any situation, without having to wait for orders from higher up the chain. The majority of the population was actually fairly young, due to the magic of cold sleep, and they were thinking…and wondering why they didn’t have so much themselves. The Truth had originated – and the High Priest mentally punished himself for even thinking of it – in a part of their homeworld where resources had been scarce. That had driven them onwards, to conquest and glory…and yet, it seemed so weak when suddenly faced with so much obvious wealth. Young warriors, down on Earth without the strictures of their clans, might make the wrong decisions…
He cast his attention towards the new landing sites. The landings had been on a much larger scale, but this time, they’d known where to bombard. The humans didn’t seem to have any concept of basic security; the researchers had discovered, fairly easily, entire books of tactical and strategic data on the entire world. Instead of telling their people what they needed to know, the humans were allowing them to know everything…or, at least, far more than they really needed to know, or even care about. A chart of bases in the Middle East, useless to the human who’d died defending his home, had been very useful to the planners when the invasion began…
This time, it was going to be a far more powerful offensive. The bombardment had been much more carefully planned, and, now that they had better intelligence, should be almost decisive on its own. The landing forces had landed in three human countries…and then were expanding out as rapidly as possible. The most powerful country in the region might be a problem, which was why it had been left for last – there was also a human religious element involved, although none of the researchers could explain why it was still there – but the remaining militaries would just melt away. They didn’t know it, yet, but they had nowhere to hide. The cities of Jerusalem and Mecca would be taken soon…and they would be used to bring down the human religions and replace them with the Truth. The High Priest was certain of it…
So why did he have those quiet nagging doubts?
He dismissed them and turned to the War Leader. “I want the enemy organised resistance quelled within the next two cycles,” he ordered. The human resistance had been disorganised all over the region; some units had fought well, if utterly outclassed, and some had just scattered and run. They’d had to be rounded up quickly to prevent them from turning into insurgents later. “Keep up the pressure on their governments and don’t let them have a chance to form a new defence line.”
“Of course, Your Holiness,” the War Leader said. “As unprepared as they were, they will fall before us.”
“Good,” the High Priest said. If nothing else, a second round of fighting would keep the warriors from having uncomfortable thoughts. “Keep me updated on the progress of the invasion.”
The War Leader bowed and retreated. The High Priest knew that he should relax. He'd done all he could to ensure victory…but he still had those nagging doubts. Only victory would salve his concerns…and victory was just around the corner. It just felt as if they’d made a terrible mistake.
He was sure of it.
