39. Max
39
MAX
J ade appeared to be super excited about finally seeing some action. It sucked being a warrior and not getting to fight. She could join the Guardian force and accompany them on missions, but there wasn't much bloodshed during those, so it wasn't what she was thirsty for.
Max stifled a chuckle. Thirst took on a whole new meaning in reference to the Kra-ell. During the clan's liberation of Igor's compound, Jade had drained Igor's second-in-command by drinking his blood. She hadn't killed him, though. He'd convinced everyone that he was a good guy who'd been a helpless pawn and was now working as a gardener, doing community service in the village.
The liberation had been such a glorious operation, and Max would have loved to do the same for the entire oppressed population of the region they were about to infiltrate, and restore freedom, democracy, and fundamental human rights, but they had neither the manpower nor the strategy to attempt a revolution.
"So, to summarize," Jade said. "We secure Kyra, aim to capture the leader of the Doomers at the compound, leave no one alive that saw us in action, destroy all recorded evidence of the mission, and withdraw immediately."
Max snorted. "Are you sure we can't take down the ayatollahs while we are at it? If we are already there, why not free the oppressed Iranian population and the Kurds? You know, tick off a few items on the to-do list. Maybe rescue a city or two while there as well." He was only half joking.
How hard could it be to remove a few rotten old men?
Onegus cracked a smile. "As much as we would like to, we can't solve all the world's problems, Max. It's not as simple as picking off the top leaders." He sat forward, resting his forearms on the table. "You kill one tyrant or a dozen, and others step in to fill the void. The root of the evil isn't just a single personality. It's a system and culture of corruption, fear, and brutality. Changing that requires more than a band of immortals playing vigilante."
"So true and so frustrating," Kian said. "We have the power to do many things, but the deeper we wade into Earth's geopolitical messes, the more convinced I become that lasting change requires more than brute force or a single decapitating strike. Look at Navuh. We want him gone, but killing him doesn't guarantee the Brotherhood's fall, even if we could get to him. One of his adopted sons might step up, or an ambitious commander. With enough charisma, it's possible to lead the Brotherhood without the benefit of compulsion. As impossible as it might seem, the next leader might be worse than Navuh."
Onegus regarded Kian with a contemplative look on his face. "Navuh is at the root of some of the most sophisticated child-trafficking rings and destabilizing operations that stem from them. If we take him out, we will hamper a huge chunk of the organized network and the Doomers who run those abominations."
Kian waved a dismissive hand. "Those will continue without Navuh. But that's a conversation for another day. Right now, we are here to talk about extracting Kyra."
Onegus nodded. "Let's return to the infiltration details. The plan is to fly from our airfield to the airport in eastern Turkey. The local contact arranges for us to be picked up and flown to Tahav." He turned to Yamanu. "Once the choppers are in the air, you start the illusions. It's a long flight, so preserve your energy."
Yamanu nodded. "I will need to shroud the choppers both ways and also cover the operation. This is going to stretch my ability." He turned to Max. "Can you shroud?"
Max winced. "Only myself and perhaps one other person."
"You're no help." Yamanu looked at Jade. "You?"
She shook her head. "We have our version of shrouding and thralling, but it doesn't work like yours. It's not going to help you."
Onegus waited to see if Yamanu wanted to add anything else, but when he shrugged, indicating that he was done, the chief continued, "If the intelligence we have is correct, the compound is not heavily guarded—some soldiers, but not a full complement. They might call for reinforcements, though, which is why speed is essential." He looked at Max. "Get into as many heads as you can until you find one that can tell you where Kyra is. That's much faster than using brute force to get people to talk."
Max nodded. "I know. Yamanu will be busy, Ell-rom and Jasmine can't thrall, and Jade's people can't either."
"I can compel, and of course, so can Drova," Jade said. "My ability is weak, but hers is formidable. Drova can compel answers from the humans and the Doomers." That was a relief. Max wasn't a strong thraller and didn't want to be solely responsible for extracting the information.
"It is not how I saw Drova's role, but that is a great idea that may save us precious time," Onegus said. "Max and the both of you go to work on finding Kyra right away while the rest of the team fights the guards. You will split into two squads. One will protect Yamanu so he can keep his shroud up, and the other Ell-rom and Jasmine, as neither has combat training."
Jade inclined her head.
Max wondered if Ell-rom needed protection. They still didn't know if the guy could kill more than one person with a thought because there had been no time to continue his testing. Perhaps this mission would provide the perfect opportunity to do just that.
If Ell-rom could take out an entire squadron of soldiers with just a thought, the Kra-ell would have little left to do.
They would be so disappointed that Max almost hoped Ell-rom's ability wasn't that good.
Almost.
Perhaps after the mission was done, he would show Ell-rom pictures of the ayatollahs and tell him how many people they'd killed and maimed, hanging human rights activists in barbaric public spectacles. It might be enough to activate his death ray.