Elts , like most creatures, had certain fears they were generally prone to; the fear of uncertainties , the fear of unknowns , the fear of natural predators, the fear of sudden death ,...... as well as the fear of heights . And for Zen and Niel,It did not help matters that every background noise ,every slight rustling of the wind, every slight crunch heard when their feet fell on loose rock, and even a more-forceful than usual wind movement reminded them that a fall from the narrow cliff they were standing on , which was about three hundred feet above ground level , promised nothing nut a certain gruesome death.
For a veteran strategist with enough experience of the front line action like Zen , this primal was just another one of the many inconvieniencies of the battle field . So, he pushed the feeling to the back of his mind as much as he could so he could concentrate on the task at hand .
Resting three hundred feet below them was an unsuspecting tribe of a native creature that they had arbitrarily named as Socions. These specie was the last on their extermination list , a list comprising of all creatures that resided in a one kilometer radius around their chosen camp site and where each progressive entry was seen as being more dangerous than the last.
Zen , as the group's strategist had not tagged this Specie as the most dangerous on their extermination list for no reason, far from it. Rather, it was because these specie had combined the deadly weapons of intelligence, adaptability and in specie dependence- the very things that had helped the Elts to ascend to the top of the food web back in their home world- into a a deadly mix which they had integrated into their daily lives. Also almost all the members of this tribe of Socions could wield supernatural abilities , the very thing that had given his group an edge against other targets on their extermination list. As though that was not enough,he knew absolutely nothing about the individual combat capabilities of the tribe of Socions beneath them which they were about to face. That was a nightmare for a veteran strategist like him especially in this world where a slightly more powerful fragment granted ability could change the tides of battle , as he had come to understand
" The element pf surprise is clearly on our side so we will make maximum use of it" he said out loud, enough for Niel to hear but not so loud enough as would give up their position.
" You will bombard them from up here with the most destructive element you can summon . I will go down there to ensure that none of the Socions who survives your attacks do not escape. We will begin this mission on my signal."he said as he turned to make sure that Niel, who was standing beside him, was following.
Niel , as it appeared,was not listening. Rather, he appeared to be looking downwards in the direction of the Socions, except that his eyes were glassy and his gaze appeared to be empty.
Subduing his anger, Zen asked in the calmest voice he could.
" Were you listening to what i just said?"
Zen was not his subordinate after all,not here and not even back in their home world. And in this world were they were trying to gain a foothold, he needed the strength of his team members to carry out his survival plans . So he could not afford to offend Zen now even if he was acting out of character so close to a potentially hostile territory and just before an important battle .
There was an odd silence that stretched for several seconds as Zen took his time to come around. eventually he responded, but not in reply to the question thrown at him.
"Tell me Zen, what would make us any better than the central government and it's forces that we have come to despise if we carry out this plan? We talk of how the central government forces invaded our world , made a mess of the societal structure , Kill our people at will on the slightest provocation and often without justification, exploit the resources found on our planet without care for the environment or it's people , along with a host of other evils that they commit . Yet, here we are, well taught members of the Allied Resistance Army, about to carry out a genocide. So far, all the creatures we have killed were clearly aggressive, unintelligent or largely non sentient. But these? Look clearly Zen! The Socions are clearly an intelligent , sentient specie with an organized societal system, or at least a primitive version of one. And so far there have not been aggressive towards us neither have they given us any reason whatsoever to attack them even if they are just a few yards away from our camp base. "
Zen heaved a sigh in frustration . Not every soldier could resist the power of propaganda and indoctrination,not even Niel having brought the views of the Allied Resistance Army to whatsoever strange place this was and even judging the conflict before them, on which their survival depended and in more ways than one from the same view point. Neither was every one opportuned to see war efforts for what it was and not as individual battles whose individual outcomes gradually tipped the scales that decided their fates, either in their favour or against them. To Zen , both the central government and the Allied Resistance Army were two versions of the same thing; a corrupt system run by power hungry people and fueled by the sweat and blood of men and women who were either brainwashed by them , -subtly or overtly - or had no choice but to join a side- with he himself being part of the latter.
" I will tell you this once Niel; most things are not what they seem to be . And just so you know, given enough incentive, even the most harmless creature could become your nemesis, so, i will take the initiative while i have the advantage if i were you. After all , since we have been thrown into a place where the laws of the jungle seem to apply, not following them would be suicide." He faced Niel with a hardened expression on his face as he spoke.
A pained expression crossed Niel's face as he considered Zen's words. Eventually, he made his choice....
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