Challenge #01693-D232: The Most Dangerous Opponent
"You can’t hold a grudge forever"
“I’m not ‘holding a grudge’, I’m making decisions based on past evidence.” -- RecklessPrudence
"The humans are going to destroy all your careful plans," said the old general. "These are members of a species that coined the phrase, 'no plan ever survives first contact with the enemy'. You could try to learn from that."
The war council turned to stare and General Gerax. He was the last one to famously lose to the humans and he'd never let anyone forget it.
"General. Though we appreciate your input, it's clearly stained by your past dishonour. You cannot hold a grudge forever."
"I'm not holding a grudge," grumbled the General. "I'm warning you all based on past evidence. We've all seen what the humans repeatedly do to the Vorax."
"There's debate as to whether the Vorax are that intelligent," sighed Junior General Kleff. "They're smart enough to have space vessels, yet they keep attempting to beat the humans in battle."
"And what are we doing again?" asked General Gerax.
The evident facetiousness evaded Kleff. "We're planning to contain these dangerous deathworlders with the best technology we have from our smartest scientists. We don't wish to exterminate them, eradicate them, or otherwise take back what they've already conquered. We're merely showing them where our borders are and that they should advance no further."
General Gerax scoffed. "That won't help."
He was right, in the end. The plan fell apart because the humans already had a counter to the Zekitti secret weapon. Gerax knew they would. These were Deathworlders. Any time not fighting an outsider was time they spent fighting each other. They got good at it.
Terrifyingly good at it.
[Image (c) Can Stock Photo / TsuneoMP]
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