Chapter 1257: Are They Really?


    Morrelia was very grateful not to be on a boat any longer. She would serve no matter where the Legion chose to send her, but she much preferred to have her feet on drynd. However, she didn''t necessarily think her current position was any <em>safer</em>.


    "Rx, tribune," Chyron chuckled. "Unless these monsters are a lot more bloodthirsty than you''ve said they are, we are not under threat."


    The younger woman restrained her re, as this was hermander.


    "I still believe we should exercise <em>caution</em>. We did directly attack their leader in in view. They could easily use that as an excuse to eliminate our entire Legion."


    She tried not to make her words sound too clipped, but she failed miserably, causing the veteranmander to bark out a shortugh.


    "If they kill us, they''ll destroy the reputation they''veboured so hard to build. You can''t be an enlightened, <em>peaceful</em> species of monsters and murder entire legions at the same time."


    "With respect,mander, if we were to die here, would anyone know? We are <em>directly </em>beneath the Colony."


    It had been a difficult march, plunging this deep into the tunnels beneath the ant mountain, butmander Chyron had proved her strength and that of her legion. The soldiers under Morrelia''smand had performed admirably, even better than she had expected, and the force had scythed its way through the monsters.


    The difference between this and the Liria Legion undermander Titus was stark. It wasn''t that her father was a poor leader, far from it, but that the gap in experience between the rank and file was that wide.So now they were here, deep within territory newly imed by the Colony, close to the entrance to the fifth stratum.


    "We would get word out, I can assure you of that," Chyron stated with absolute confidence. "You''re being too much of a worrywort, tribune. We are here toplete a mission. Focus on your duty, not these extraneous concerns."


    Morrelia swallowed her anger. It wasn''t her ce to bicker with themander, even if she did feel the woman was being somewhat cavalier with the lives of her soldiers.


    "How are we supposed toplete our mission here,mander?" she asked tightly. "The target is in the fifth stratum, while we are here in the fourth."


    "They''ll be back up soon enough. No one can stay down there for long."


    Morrelia herself had stayed down there for a period of months, but Chyron could asionally fall guilty to the same pro-Legion bias that some of the higher ups were prone to fall into. It was something the Legion actively guarded against, underestimating their foes was something they <em>hated</em>, yet even so, it crept up asionally.


    "The Colony has proven themselves to be remarkably adaptable. I remind you,mander, the stated intention of the Colony is to cleanse the fifth stratum. I have little doubt they are attempting to do so as we speak."


    "I quite agree with you," themander nodded, "and we are here to confirm whether or not the target has survived the attempt. As unfortunate as it may be, we are in a poor position toplete our objective. It is far more likely the fifth will do our work than our legion is to seed, unless the situation changes."


    It was unlikely the Legion would attempt to engage Anthony within the fifth itself. Despite the presence of Legion facilities within that stratum, it wasn''t as if they campaigned there. The fifth was simply… too inhospitable.


    At that moment, a scout approached themand area, breathless after a hard run.


    "Reporting,mander!"


    "Speak."


    "We''ve confirmed the ants have withdrawn from the fifth. They don''t appear to have suffered casualties."


    Chyron nodded as if that was what she''d been expecting all along.


    "Do we have any idea how sessful they were down there?" Morrelia asked the scout.


    "Sessful?" the scout looked at her as if she were talkingplete gibberish. "What do you mean?"


    "Were they able to make any progress in cleansing the fifth?"


    "We… uh… we have no way to tell, tribune," the scout reported.


    It was clear that nobody expected the Colony to get anywhere in this endeavour, and to be honest, that was the sensible position to take. Yet Morrelia knew better than most just what the Colony was capable of.


    If there were any group to pull off something as insane as this, it would be them. Commander Chyron turned to her with a raised brow.


    "You think it would be worth investigating to see what progress they have made in the fifth, tribune?"


    Morrelia hesitated for a moment before she then nodded.


    "I do," she affirmed. "The cleansing of the fifth has been a dream for all of Pangera for thousands of years. Any attempt should be studied in the hopes that we get closer to seeding."


    Chyron pursed her lips as she considered the matter.


    "In theory, how would you seek to obtain this information? We can''t go into the fifth and follow them, not with our current equipment."


    Morrelia pointed in the direction of the ant forward base.


    "I would go and ask them."


    The scout and Chyron both responded with nk expressions, as if their minds had not prepared them for such an approach. Morrelia shrugged.


    "I know it sounds ridiculous, but the Colony is attempting to open lines of dialogue with everyone they can. There''s no reason for them to keep their progress a secret."


    "We are their enemies, are we not?" Chyron responded dryly. "Typically, one doesn''t share information with their enemies."


    "If they are in any way sessful in their assault on the fifth, then the Colony is likely to want to share that with us to try and reduce our hostility towards them. In the unlikely event they seeded in their mission, then they would win the approbation of the entire."


    Themander considered this with narrowed eyes.


    "What''s stopping them from just lying to us?" she asked.


    Under normal circumstances, not an unreasonable question. For here and now? There was a clear response.


    "Because the Colony doesn''t lie," Morrelia responded firmly.


    Certainly, they never had that she was aware of.


    Chyron considered her with a thoughtful gaze.


    "Very well," she determined. "You, tribune, will be our liaison in this matter, if they are willing to ept you. Go, with a minimal guard, and see if the monsters are feeling talkative."