Inheritance (Rise of the Empire Book 5) by Ivan Kal

“The Sowir have a small population. They have longevity. They are a lot more united than any race we have ever encountered; all of them have a voice in their governing system, because they think alike. They are not a hive mind, but they have much less individuality than we do,” he said pointedly. When she still looked confused, he continued. “Most of the Sowir alive now were also alive when they met the Consortium. It was them who decided to attack and slaughter billions. It was them who committed genocide. So tell me, Seo-yun, why should I put my life, and the lives of my people, at risk to reason with them? They are not innocent, Seo-yun, none of them are.”
    Seo-yun struggled; he could see it in her face. She was a good person—it was what Adrian liked about her—but in this he knew that she was wrong.
    “Seo-yun.” He stepped closer and took her hand in his. “I understand that you struggle with us deciding the fates of other races. I know that you were uncomfortable with the actions we took against the Furvor. But the truth is that we have the power, which is the only right that the universe respects. And the Sowir had abused their power. They are delusional; they are no better than fanatics from Earth. They are guilty, and I will not risk our people in order to save theirs. We have already lost enough people to them. Or did you forget what happened to the Voyager? They killed our people with no cause. How many do you think they’ve killed in their pointless quest?”
    Seo-yun took a deep breath; he could see her coming to terms with his words.
    “After we have destroyed all of their military, and after we have taken control of their homeworld, I will show them how wrong they were. But they need to suffer punishment for their actions,” Adrian added.
    “I know,” Seo-yun said softly.
    ***
    A few hours later, Seo-yun walked into her and Tomas’s chambers at the palace. Tomas was in their bed, reading. When she entered, he raised his head with a smile that turned into a frown when he saw her face.
    “Seo-yun, what is wrong?” he asked, standing and crossing the distance between them.
    “Adrian came to see me,” she started. “He doesn’t want to tell the Sowir about his connection to the Spirit. He doesn’t think that he can do it without risking our people, and he doesn’t want to do that.”
    “Oh…” Tomas said slowly.
    “I can understand that. And I know that he is right; no Sowir is innocent. But still, it somehow feels wrong,” she said. “I know that I have said that I will not bring this up again, but I can’t help it.”
    Tomas hugged her tightly. “That is why I love you. Because you care. But I have told you before, I will do everything in my power to protect my people and those who need protection. The Sowir are a threat, and Adrian is right, they are not innocent. They need to be punished. We will not wipe them out; they will live, and perhaps in time they might even prove themselves enough to start making amends for what they have done. But I doubt that they will ever be able to level the scales.”
    “Yes…” Seo-yun sighed against him. “I just worry that we will someday turn into them, that we will start deciding that some races simply don’t deserve to live,” she said.
    “That is why I created the Hand of the Empire, why I will make use of Adrian’s Sentinels if our plans for the future prove fruitful.” Tomas paused. Then he lowered his voice and continued. “There might be a time when we will be forced to do exactly that. And if that time comes, I pray to all that I hold dear that I don’t make the wrong choice.”

Chapter Five
    Thanatos; Fleet Headquarters
     
    Bethany hurried down the corridors of the large complex on Thanatos, one of Sanctuary’s moons. The entire moon was property of the Fleet, and it was covered in artificial environments, warehouses, and research centers. A great number of Fleet personnel actually lived here; there was a dedicated