Riss Series 4: The Riss Accession Read Online Free PDF Page A

you feel if the Aliens attacked Eden
and killed twenty million?"
    "Outraged, sick beyond words."
    " Two Riss were killed on the Eirene and four on the Mnemosyne during the battle of Fools
Landing. Given approximately ten billion inhabitants of the SAS and three
thousand Riss, those six deaths were the equivalent of killing twenty million
humans. That may seem a bit academic, so let's consider the navy. You have
approximately three hundred ships with an average of five hundred per ship—one
hundred fifty thousand
in total. If we lose a Riss cruiser, we lose two hundred Riss. That is the
equivalent to you losing twenty cruisers."
    "Agreed. Yes, you... the Riss risk
much supporting the SAS."
    "That brings me to a more serious
issue—captains. As a separate nation, I'm free to make anyone a Riss-human —"
    "No!" Stenberg blurted.
    Wattson frowned.
    Plimson looked down in thought .
    "I love my Riss-sisters, Alena,
Jaelle, and Elissa. In peacetime, they would makegood captains today. But they are not ready
for war .
Forcing them today would put the Riss cruiser and two hundred Riss at
greater risk. Consider further: if Pavao or I are killed, you lose a Riss
cruiser, a captain, and an XO who is a potential Riss captain. That
would be like you losing one hundred twenty cruisers."
    " One hundred twenty captains , not
cruisers," Wattson corrected.
    "No. If you lost one hundred twenty
captains, you could promote one hundred twenty senior commanders. We
have no one to promote ; therefore , the comparison is more like you losing ships."
    "What are you proposing? You
and Pavao have said in the past that you can't make just anyone a Riss-human. Most are
repulsed by the idea; many others couldn’t tolerate an
intelligent being inside their head, and there is no point unless the person has
combat experience," Wattson said, appearing to be probing.
    "Very correct . I'd suggest
a new Riss Project. We would solicit candidates from the SAS, JPU, UFN, and
the clans—
    "No! No! You can't trust the Raiders
in Riss cruisers!" Stenberg shouted.
    Wattson glared at me.
    Plimson didn't react,seemingly still in thought .
    "Originally, the Riss Project
selected twenty eligible candidates and asked the Riss to select ten. The Riss
selected six. The project leader insisted there had to beten , so another four were
selected. Three of those four couldn’t tolerate an intelligent life-form
being in their head and were taken to Saipha and had the Riss removed. The fourth
used the Riss' gifts to abuse other cadets and cheat on exams. The Riss took
control and insisted on being removed. A better example involved me. On one of
my ships, a Raider gained access in an attempt to kill me. He killed a Riss who
was trying to protect me. Terril, what happened?"
    "As Captain Reese ran towards the
Raider, she stumbled and fell. When I went to her, I heard a strange voice
saying she had taken control of the Captain. It was Thalia. When I asked why,
she said revenge was not the Riss way. She wouldn't allow the Captain
to gain control until the next morning."
    "The lesson here is that while the
Riss don't want control, they are capable of taking it against the human's will and
won't allow a violation of their ethics. Can you imagine a Riss-human
attempting to fire on an SAS or Riss ship, or even attempting to kill someone who
isn't trying to kill him or her? No, I would trust any human a Riss had chosen
as a host with my life."
    "Are you saying you won't agree to
mutual support if we say no?" Wattson asked.
    "No, I'm saying I won't allow
Alena, Jaelle, or Elissa to take a Riss cruiser into battle. So you will have
only two. Worse, my three Riss sisters will have to act as XOs on Pavao and
my ships until they gain sufficient war experience to command one on their
own. That means if one of our ships is destroyed, only one Riss cruiser will be
available to support you."
    "Agreed," Plimson said to
everyone's astonishment . "We are at war with a technically
superior race. We