***Tirnanog, Aerie Flagship***

***Vanya***

I leaned back in my chair and allowed the others to inform Magnus and Astra about the current situation. Since I was the one urging for speed, I should have done so myself, but I was tired and the other members of this council were aware of the all-nighters I pulled.

My attention returned to the map on the table as my mind spun, running through scenarios and possibilities. The map showed all known positions of allied and enemy forces – with the latter information being more than a little unreliable.

At a glance, the current tactical and strategic situation might have looked like a stalemate between the clans, but I saw it was anything but.

The more Clan Jeng had revealed about their state of affairs, the direr things looked and I was still reluctant to inform the others of how dire I judged the situation to be. It wasn't like I looked down on the other leaders, but not everyone was as calculating as me. There was no need to jump to conclusions without the full picture, as there were still some undecided factors.

For example, the organisation had yet to reveal the full scale of support it could offer and a few of the ancients had yet to reveal on which side they stood.

Nonetheless, the massive losses among Jeng's civilian population were a heavy blow to the clan’s overall economic strength. During the initial stage of their attack, Thich targeted several of their housing trees which Clan Jeng used as self-sufficient skyscrapers. Jeng’s entire living style relied on burrowing into these gigantic trees like termites with the largest, the mother tree, at the centre of their settlement. Even so, the collapse of several of their surrounding housing trees had claimed a devastating amount of lives.

Clan Jeng was still counting their losses.

The arrival of Aerie’s and my forces had prevented the absolute worst outcome and forced Vier and Thich into a temporary retreat. Back then, I wondered why our enemies hadn't fought harder to deal the finishing blow to Jeng. What should have been a decisive battle turned into a mere skirmish in the grand scheme of things.

Oh, thousands had died and airships went down with entire crews lost, but at the end of the day, neither side had truly committed their forces. Except for Jeng, nobody suffered irreplaceable losses. Thich would have had Jeng against a wall if the elders of Aerie hadn’t revealed their wormgate. Without it, we might have lost the entire clan.

The complete eradication of a clan… such a thing hadn’t happened since the great clan war.

I sighed inwardly at the senseless loss of life, cursing my fellow humans for their inability to work together when survival alone was already hard enough in this world. But those were only my feelings. Rationally, I knew my species' drive for competition and adversity was the reason why we had won the game of evolution and came out as Earth’s top predator. As much as my fellow humans were suppressing the animal within to play the game of civilisation, that which caused us to rise to the top always shone through to drag us back down.

And in a way, I had no right to complain after deciding to kill my predecessor to take things into my own hands. It almost cost me Tianna’s support, but thankfully the woman was too calculating to throw the clan into disarray at such a critical moment by causing a power struggle. Though, things were not well and I would have to face our issues sooner or later.

Suddenly, I realized my thoughts had drifted off again and I forced myself back to our reason for being here.

By now, we knew why the enemy retreated, seemingly bestowing us the gift of victory by abandoning the field of combat. Following old wisdom, countries could win a battle and still lose the war.

Jeng’s Paladins and their ancient, Felix, had revealed the full scale of their failure only reluctantly, but they had no choice given the aid their people were receiving from us. To hold back vital information would have been the height of folly.

Their reluctance nonetheless caused me to be wary of them and I still considered several scenarios of possible betrayal by Jeng. It was unlikely their civilians would rebel against us after Aerie took in most of them. But Jeng’s leadership? Enemy operatives within their ranks?

Possible, even very likely.

It looked like Thich hadn’t only known how to hit Jeng in the worst way possible, crippling their entire infrastructure. Thich also managed to steal all of Jeng’s stores of iobeetle armour – a supply Jeng had hoarded for several years as they restricted access to the material.

Highly suspicious circumstances, given the precision of the attack. Meaning Thich must have had spies and informants among Jeng’s population.

The fact that Thich had managed to acquire large amounts of such an important resource as iobeetle armour put us on the back foot. Iobeetle armour was not indestructible, but it surpassed steel in mechanical resistance while being far lighter.

Modern warfare on Earth had gravitated away from heavy armour, but only because modern firearms had become so powerful that armouring infantry with sufficient protection would be impractical. It was possible to protect vital areas to some extent, but using the equivalent of modern plate armour capable of withstanding bullets would have caused any normal soldier to collapse beneath the weight.

Not so on Tirnanog.

The average Tirnanogian was larger and stronger than any human from Earth, even without specialized mutations. Thanks to the iobeetle shells it was possible to create a modern knight capable of withstanding everything except for the heaviest of modern firearms. All while still allowing for more than enough mobility.

Aside from Jeng’s paladins, Aerie’s hunters were the best example with their armour-weaving techniques.

Iobeetle armour was tough enough so it was beyond the point where it mattered whether it was penetrated or not. The necessary forces to break the shell were large enough to kill most humans from the transferred kinetic force alone, even if the armour stayed intact.

The only real downside was the expense due to its rarity.

Besides, the main point of equipping our elite warriors this well was not to have them fight other humans but to protect their lives against the teeth and claws of Tirnanog’s wildlife. A stealthy predator going for a vital artery was always a threat, no matter the power of the individual.

On the positive side, it would take quite some time before the Thich would be able to field enough armoured warriors to tip the balance truly. Iobeetle shells were hard to process, but it was only a question of time. We had a few months, maybe a year until the supply of better armour would tip the scales.

It all depended on Thich’s ability to process the raw shells – which was hard to judge since we got barely any information about their infrastructure.

I had my spies out in the world, but the clans had always been very secretive about their military capabilities. Our insular lifestyle didn't help. Getting information in and out was hard and Hochberg’s information network in Thich’s fortress city had withered away under my predecessor.

Something which I highly suspected had happened intentionally, maybe as a part of some bargain.

The Caravaners would be able to provide some more accurate intelligence if the families decided to take a side, but so far the vast majority of them tried to stay out of the conflict. Only those who had intimate ties with Aerie and Hochberg had pledged their support. I only wished they would be faster with their summit where the Caravaner’s overall stance would be decided.

Yet another piece to the puzzle.

At the very least, I thought Thich’s economic capabilities to be equal to the other great clans.

Even if it was unlikely for Thich to suddenly field whole battlegroups fully equipped with superior armour, I foresaw our supplies slowly dwindling as existing armour was destroyed and had to be replaced. According to Jeng, the annual harvest of naturally deceased iobeetles was far below what we needed.

Meaning we would be forced to hunt the creatures, which we would have to pay for with the lives of important warriors. If we did not, at some point, our best would be forced to face their Thich counterparts with inferior protection and our losses would skyrocket.

Wars on Tirnanog weren’t won with numbers but by powerful warriors. Which wasn’t to say that the small soldier didn’t have to play their role.

Still, any combat group needed their juggernauts to fight off Tirnanog’s wildlife. A party of 200 warriors was capable of surviving in the wilds decently well, but their numbers were expected to dwindle without someone decently powerful to fight off the more dangerous monsters during the night.

In Earth’s ancient past most soldiers didn’t die because they caught a bullet, but a disease. Nanotech eliminated this problem on Tirnanog, but we had the beasts to contend with. If Hochberg’s records were to be believed, six of ten soldiers didn’t die in combat with the actual enemy during the clan war.

If a force of equivalent strength managed to wipe out the other’s powerhouses, the established doctrine was to retreat and let the monsters take care of the rest.

Felix clearing his throat drew my attention back to the discussion. “We all know that you are tired, Vanya, but you could at least pretend to listen.”

I narrowed my eyes at the ancient but refused to allow myself to be dragged down to his level. Felix had harboured a grudge against me since he learned of Greta’s demise. Mary persuaded him to drop the issue for obvious reasons, but he was still slightly antagonistic towards me whenever he found an excuse.

“I’ve listened,” I answered half-heartedly while mentally reviewing the discussion I had listened to, but not consciously followed. Having perfect memories was my boon and curse from early childhood on, elevating me far above my fellow humans while separating me from them at the same time.

To at least give the others the impression of paying more attention, I stopped playing with my puzzle cube.

“Maybe we could now send those additional airships which I requested two days ago to reinforce the Old Camp,” I tried my best to not sound too peeved. “If you had followed my advice, they would already be there, providing additional lift capacity to move Magnus’s people. And I am all for allowing Balthasar and his people access to the Old Camp. Again, with additional ships further north we would have had no problem giving them a lift.”

“Back then, it wasn’t certain whether they wouldn’t be needed elsewhere,” Felix countered.

“Not to you,” I clarified.

Elder Juliana raised a hand. “Please, we all agreed to keep the fleet together while moving the bulk of our forces. Aerie's airships are the fastest means of moving troops we have, so we should avoid splitting our forces until we learn of a serious commitment of our enemies’ forces.” She looked around. “So, all are in favour of giving the Old Camp to Balthasar?”

I nodded, seeing it only as a way to free up our troops for other tasks. Even if this ancient only sat down on a strategically important position and did nothing else, it was more than enough. Given that Earth’s wormhole exit was close. Whether or not the Tibet facility was truly destroyed was something I was still dubious about.

Confirmation! It was all about confirmation!

Heeding old advice, I tried not to sound too bossy when I addressed our two best messengers, “Astra, Magnus, if you don’t have any further questions I would appreciate it if you make haste to contact the organisation. We received claims of the destruction of Earth’s gateway facility and I need it confirmed as soon as possible. If this region has permanently, or at least for a longer timeframe, lost contact with Earth, then we need to adjust our plans accordingly.”

***Tirnanog, The Old Camp***

***Astra***

We jaunted to our next destination as soon as the higher-ups threw us out of their council of war.

“Whoho!” Magnus shook himself once we arrived. “Glad to be out of there. They were all a little too tense, don't you think?”

“I think it is justified to be a little stressed out when you are in charge of a world war,” I pointed out.

“It's not a real world war,” Magnus replied.

“To us, it may as well be,” I countered while we walked around the bunker. We had chosen our jaunt point at the Old Camp to be placed in an overgrown niche at the former training field behind the bunker.

As soon as we came around the corner and got a good view of the remains of the Old Camp, we stopped. The former, burned-down log village had turned into a tent city and very busy-looking people were buzzing around like ants. Judging by the armour, there were some of Aerie’s hunters among them, but the bulk of the mass looked like fresh exiles from Earth. At the very most they had a starfish mutation but that was it.

“Woow,” Magnus exclaimed upon seeing the scene.

“Why are you so surprised?” I asked. “I thought you arranged this.”

“Well, I knew the general plan of what would happen if I managed to confirm safe passage and sent a message back, but I didn't expect them to pull it off to this extent. At the most, I hoped for a few dozen people to storm the facility and get through.” Magnus spread out his hands. “Those maniacs! How did they get a small army together? Did they march up to the gateway facility and blast their way in?”

“Why don't we ask?” I marched up to a nearby guard and introduced myself, waving a few filaments at the same time. Our armour and treemonae mutation alone were enough to get us waved through the bunker's entrance where we expected to find Conla Leece who was in charge of this mess.

An additional security check later, we found ourselves in Gurney's former office where Conla was sitting behind a desk and heatedly arguing with three people.

Upon seeing me, Conla raised her hands towards the ceiling. “Astra! Magnus! Praise Gaia! You are here! Finally!”

The three who had been arguing with Conla turned to us and one of the men whistled in a rather offensive way.

“You are the girl who Magnus 'partnered' with!?” he exclaimed and mimed an hourglass figure with his hands. “No wonder the lad finally abandoned his ascetic ways. You are a looker!”

I blinked. “Excuse me?”

“Oh, where are my manners!” He offered me a hand. “Gunnar Elrod is the name! Call me uncle! I have been managing Earth's side of this operation for too long, so finally going on vacation was overdue if you ask me.”

I wasn't sure how to respond and just stared stupidly while Magnus stepped into the room from behind me, growling rather menacingly while he looked down at Gunnar, “Who are you supposed to be?”

“Gunnar!” Gunnar replied while looking up at my partner. “Don't you remember me? What have they been feeding you? You are at least a head or two taller than when I last saw you.”

“I only know one Gunnar Elrod and he is dead,” Magnus stated in a rather deadpan voice before looking at the other two. “Chloe, Jakob, who is this clown?”

Gunnar raised a finger. “Right! Never used this face with you.” He placed the other hand on his wrist as if he intended to measure his pulse and twisted. With it, the man’s face shifted, turning leaner and more angled. “Remember your instructor, Agent Crowford?” Gunnar did it again and got some more wrinkles while his chin turned more pronounced. The hair on his head receded some more, giving him an even older appearance.

I was taken aback. It wasn’t like old people weren’t a thing in Tirnanog. To pursue power some few chose to use a more combat-oriented mutation instead of starfish. Still, seeing an old person get even older while I was watching was somewhat disturbing.

Gunnar grinned once the transformation finished, revealing a set of crooked teeth. “Or maybe this one? Remember your old neighbour who always snuck you and your sisters some sweets?”

Magnus stared at Gunnar, his mien revealing nothing of his emotions.

Gunnar grinned at Magnus and spread his arms, intending a hug.

Magnus struck Gunnar with his palm, hitting the man right in the chest. The force of the blow sent Gunnar flying backwards until he hit Conla's office table and did a backwards somersault over it. He only managed to let out a very strange noise as the air was forcefully pushed out of his lungs.

Conla was also forced to jump out of her chair to dodge the body. “Watch it!”

“Magnus!” I exclaimed.

Magnus raised both hands to show that he was done. “Before you carp over this, I thought long and hard about a proper response!”

“Two seconds! Tops!” I complained. “That's not long and hard!”

“I used thirty sub-personalities simultaneously! So all added up I gave it at least thirty seconds of consideration!” Magnus tried to justify himself. “And I haven't really hit him! That was only a light shove! And if he is really who he claims to be, then I should have lightning bolted him to kingdom come until it smelled well done in here.”

“That's not the same and you know it!” I said.

“Ihht hurtsss…” a certain someone wheezed from beneath Conla’s table.

“Don't worry, miss. Gunnar has a few combat mods which are normally restricted to military personnel,” the older woman who was apparently a part of Gunnar's party assured me with a smile on her lips. “We kind of expected this to go way worse.”

“Chloe!” Magnus exclaimed, throwing out his arms in an urging gesture. “Stop the small talk and start explaining! What’s this supposed to be?” Magnus pointed at Gunnar who was using the table to get back to his feet, which I found surprising. I expected someone so frail to be hurt more.

“Ih hink he hot haaa rip…” Gunnar wheezed while holding a palm to his chest.

“Of course! Everything will be explained, though that will take time! Maybe we should sit down, but first.” Chloe paid the shapeshifter no mind as her gaze roamed to the third member of Gunnar's group and she held out a hand. “Pay up!”

The man Magnus addressed as Jakob grumbled, but pulled out a colourful plastic bag and handed it over. “Fine, you won. Though, I would contest that we would have to wait till Magnus learns the whole story before he decides to freak out on Gunnar.”