Blue Star Enterprises

"Shouldn't we stay?" Alexander asked as he hurried to catch up to the woman.

"We will return in time. Let them hash out the basic tactics for now and once they have a better idea of what we can accomplish, then we can rejoin."

That sounded reasonable to Alexander. "So what did you wish to discuss?" She had obviously asked him out here to have some sort of private discussion.

She didn't respond right away.

"I won't lie to you, Kane," Katalynn said as they slowly walked down one of the empty hallways of the complex. "Harlow surprised us with how many ships he brought with him. He must have been holding them back from the STO. From what information the Lokis have managed to gather, there are still three pirate fleets harassing the STO border and defending the territory they have claimed. What I'm trying to get at is that even with your impressive defenses, I don't know if this is a battle we can win."

Most of Alexander's hope was dashed with that one statement. "Are you certain?"

"Nothing is ever certain until it's over, but Harlow is no fool. We fought him three times, and he adjusted his tactics to counter ours with each battle. Our chances of winning are going to depend on a few things. We need to take away his main advantage, which is firepower. That includes his plasma missiles as well as any nuclear weapons he might be holding onto. If we can do that, our chances improve slightly."

"Why only slightly?" Alexander asked.

"Because he will either pull out or shift his tactics. I've never seen a pirate so bound and determined to throw everything they have at something. It's like the man's possessed. A man with convictions is a dangerous adversary. Our best option is not a full victory, but to whittle away his numbers enough that he simply leaves. Even if that happens, I doubt he will forget what happened here. That's assuming we can even force him to leave. This will be a bloody conflict no matter which way it turns. By the end, our fleets will be a ghost of their former selves. Even with your ability to repair and modify ships faster than anyone else in Asgardian territory, it will leave us vulnerable…"

Alexander could hear the hesitation in the woman's tone. "Does that mean you would withdraw if you felt like this was a losing battle?" If that was the case, he understood but he didn't have to like it. He couldn't expect them to simply throw themselves into a meat grinder to save one planet when they had an entire union to maintain.

"No," she stated firmly. "You are part of the union now and that means doing our utmost to defend this system. Even if I thought it was an unwinnable situation, I would not order a retreat back to Asgard. If I did that, I might as well take my own life. It would be less of an embarrassment than returning home as a coward. However, there is the possibility that we may have to make a tactical withdrawal to improve our odds of winning. The reason I mention this is because you may have to consider withdrawing along with us."

"And allow Harlow unfettered access to the planet?! Unacceptable," he declared.

Katalynn nodded. "I thought you might feel that way. Before the battle is even set to begin, we could relocate most of your people and simply not engage Harlow," she added after a moment.

Alexander simply shook his avatar. "Unless every man woman and child could be removed, that isn't an option for me either. I wouldn't abandon any of these people at the hands of pirates. And Harlow would simply come to Asgard to take revenge or look for me if he couldn't find me here. So, while I appreciate the offer, don't count us out quite yet. I may still have a few cards to play to help even the odds a bit."

"I'm glad you feel that way," she stated, looking at him sideways. "My opinion of you would have fallen had you agreed to my suggestion without considering the ramifications."

"Another test of my character?" he asked in annoyance.

"Yes," she admitted. "Be glad I am the one testing you and not the other Jarls. You saw how Jarl Bergson acted when she saw you. She's a bit headstrong, but she's also younger and much more open to change than some of the older Jarls. If you couldn't handle yourself in front of her or defend your honor when it's tested, some might think your inclusion into the Asgardian Union was political."

"Was it?" Alexander asked as they walked.

"Everything I do must be factored into the needs of the Union, but we can discuss that later. Tell me about these cards you are holding. I need to know if they will serve a purpose in the battle."

"I have twenty stealth gunships," he said without hesitation.

Lucas had been the one to produce the gunships while he was absent at Asgard. They had been meant as a testing platform more than a weapon of war because of some downsides with the process his favorite computer programmer had discovered, which Alexander quickly pointed out to Katalynn. "The stealth coating isn't great and there are structural weaknesses with these gunships that make their armor essentially worthless so I don't know how much they would affect the outcome of a battle."

"Railguns?" she asked and Alexander nodded.

"Hmm," she said. "They probably won't be instrumental against the thicker armor of the destroyers and cruisers in Harlow's fleet and with the other issue, probably won't survive against his frigates or gunships long enough to do any significant damage. With those disadvantages, adding them to the fight would just be throwing them to the flame. For now, we will exclude them from the battle plan, but keep the pilots ready, we may find a use for them yet. Anything else I should know?"

Alexander nodded, not mentioning that the ships were all automated. "We can replace a laser satellite in less than half an hour. I would be producing them around the clock, but our defensive management system is already at capacity so I have a few dozen on standby to get launched into orbit to replace any losses."

"I assume they are quick to manufacture and also the reason as to why they are so underpowered?"

"An unfortunate side effect of the size constraints we are working with. There are also my repair bots. I would suggest every ship maintain a few to speed along any quick repairs that might be needed."

"I agree," the Lagertha stated.

Alexander smiled internally. It seemed the woman's opinion of the robots had drastically changed since they had last seen each other. It felt good to have his work justified.

"Anything else?" she asked.

It didn't take Alexander long to ponder the question. "I'm afraid not."

She nodded. "We will take those items into account. Enough talk about politics and tactics, we will be sick of both shortly. Since we have time while our tacticians and commanders figure out the best course of action for the battle to come, how about you show me around your home?"

He was surprised by the question. "Um… okay. It isn't quite as impressive as Asgard, but I can think of a few spots that might interest you."

The pair took the tram to the closest exit to the central dome. The massive expanse of crystal clear material gave an unobstructed view of the night sky. It was quiet in the dome, as night had fallen on the surface, and inside the facility.

The place had become a favorite spot for people to get away from the rest of the hustle and bustle of the quickly growing community.

"If memory serves, this dome was caved in the last time I was here."

Alexander nodded his avatar. "It was."

"Hmm. Impressive work rebuilding it," she replied, looking at the structure more than the star-filled view outside.

"I had good people working on it, otherwise it would likely still be in a state of disrepair." She glanced at him and Alexander felt the need to defend himself. "I would have gotten to it eventually, it was just that I had more important things going on."

"I think that's because you lack focus, Kane," Katalynn said as she walked farther into the now lush interior of the dome.

"What do you mean I lack focus? I managed to modify your ship as well as one of mine in the same timeframe that I had given you originally. If that isn't focus I don't know what is," he responded defensively.

"Perhaps I misspoke. I'm not talking about your engineering accomplishments, Kane. Perhaps it would be better to say that you focus on too many things at once." Katalynn stated. "I'm referring to where your priorities lay. Take me for example. While I would love to spend my days honing my fighting, I can't do that. As a leader, I must put my people first, even if it's at the expense of my time. I'm not saying what you have built here isn't impressive, it is, but you need to eventually decide which of those is more important for you, being an engineer or a leader."

Instead of getting angry at the statement, he took a mental step back to process the woman's words. She may be right, but that didn't mean he was wrong either. He had built Eden's End from a rundown hole in the middle of nowhere. Sure he had struggled and continued to struggle with certain aspects of his responsibilities, but he had made great strides in improving himself and everyone around him.

That being said, he understood her meaning. She didn't have to explain what happened when he got too focused on his work instead of actively managing the population. Sorin was a helpful reminder of that.

After minutes of silence, he finally spoke. "I will consider your advice. Thank you."

Katalynn nodded slightly. "That's all I ask."

"When you asked me to show you around, I expected something quite different than this conversation," he admitted.

"I apologize for that," Katalynn replied. "Unsolicited advice is generally never well received when given to people who stick their heads in the sand to ignore the bigger picture. I want to be clear that I do not think that's the type of person you are, your response tells me that you aren't, but I have met plenty of people who would rather ignore issues than deal with them. Tell me, how many people do you have that will call you out on your bullshit?"

"A few maybe, why?" he asked.

"Good. Surround yourself with more of those types of people and you will have all the good advice you will ever need. Now, where to next?"

Alexander gestured down a side tunnel that led toward his workshop.

They soon entered Alexander's workshop. He had expected it to be quiet and empty, but he found Yulia and Lucas working on something.

"Yulia, Lucas! You two best not be modifying that augment gear again," he stated in annoyance. "I told you that was a one-time occurrence."

The two jumped slightly at his entry.

"Yulia, you told me he would be busy all night. That's the only reason I agreed to help out." Lucas shook his head before turning to Alexander. "Sorry, Alex. And no, I wasn't helping her modify the augment suit. I was helping her improve her go-cart's performance."

"You mean cheat?" Alexander asked pointedly, looking over at his daughter who hung her head.

Lucas defended Yulia's actions. "Hold on now. It's not cheating if it's within the rules of their races…or otherwise not covered by the rules," he muttered that last part. "Anyway," Lucas said happily, trying to draw Alexander's attention away from their actions. "Who's your very tall and lovely friend?"

Katalynn snorted at the man's compliment. "I prefer my men to have a bit of meat on their bones."

Yulia leaned over to Lucas and whispered. "What does that mean?"

Lucas leaned back over to the girl and whispered back. "Have your dad explain it to you."

Alexander simply groaned internally as he heard it all. He was pretty sure Katalynn had heard it as well.

"This is Lagertha Katalynn Char," he finally stated, seeing as Katalynn didn't seem obliged to tell them herself.

Lucas clapped his hands together and chuckled nervously. "Well, this is awkward. It was nice meeting you, Lagertha, but I think it's past time I get some sleep."

The man didn't wait for an invitation to leave as he hurried out of the workshop.

Alexander didn't miss Katalynn's gaze lingering on the man as he left. When she turned back, she caught him staring. The woman looked unfazed by that.

"If he bulked up, he may have a chance," she said. Then she turned toward Yulia. "So this is your daughter?"

"Yulia, come say hi to our guest."

Showing no fear, the girl hurried over. "You're super tall, but not as tall as Alex. One day, I'll be as tall as Alex."

Katalynn smiled. "That is a worthy goal to shoot for. Now, what is a go-cart and why would you attempt to cheat with it?" That last question came out as more of an order than a question and the girl stiffened like she had been caught with her hand in a cookie jar.

Alexander really needed to learn how Katalynn did that. It might come in handy if he had to discipline his daughter later.