CHAPTER 17: THE MORALE EQUATION

  [FACILITY STATUS: OVERDRIVE]

  [MANA COMPRESSION: 42%]

  [EMPLOYEE STATUS: NEAR BREAKING]

  The air in the Oasis had turned thick. It wasn't just the heat of the desert or the lack of ventilation; it was the pressure of the Core. As the compression chambers filled with harvested energy, the very walls seemed to thrum with a low, vibrating frequency that set people's teeth on edge. I sat in my office, monitoring the output. The men had been digging for thirty-six hours without a break.

  "Gray, you have to stop," Ami’s voice came through the crystal. She was in the lower levels, overseeing the 'biological harvest' zones. "One of the men collapsed an hour ago. He didn't just pass out; the siphons literally drained him dry because he didn't have the strength to resist the pull. The men are talking about mutiny. Lito can't keep them in line much longer."

  I didn't look away from the mana-readouts nor offer a word of sympathy.

  "I didn't authorize a collapse, Ami," I said. "And I didn't tell them the siphons were optional. If a man’s output drops, the Core compensates by increasing the draw on the nearest source. It’s an automated system. If they want to survive the harvest, they need to keep their energy levels up."

  "With what?" she snapped. "They’re eating sawdust and drinking gray-water because you’re diverting all the mana to the lances!"

  "I didn't make the fleet come here, Ami. The Guild did. I’m simply managing the response," I said. "If the men want to live, they will dig. If they want to die, they can stop. But if they stop, the Oasis falls, and the Empire won't give them a choice between labor and rest. They’ll give them a choice between a gallows and a sword."

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  "You're a monster," she whispered.

  "I didn't ask for a promotion to 'Monster,' Ami. I asked for results."

  I cut the feed and turned my attention to the surface sensors. Lilo was up there, standing on the highest basalt tower. He was a lone silhouette against the burning sun. He was my early warning system. He was also my insurance policy. If the men did mutiny, Lilo was the only one strong enough to hold the gate until I could vent the sectors.

  I didn't like having to rely on Lilo’s loyalty, but I knew his debt. He owed me his life, his honor, and fourteen thousand gold. To a man like Lilo, the gold was the least of it. He stayed because he didn't know how to be anything other than a soldier, and I was the only one giving him orders.

  I checked the compression levels again.

  [MANA COMPRESSION: 48%]

  It wasn't enough. At this rate, the lances would only have enough power for one volley. One volley against three cruisers was a gamble, and I didn't believe in gambling. I believed in certainties.

  I looked at the 'Soul-Tax' records from the Crypt. There were currently twenty-two 'contractors'—the bandits Mito had brought in—who were being held in the secondary holding cells. They weren't digging. They were just sitting there, consuming oxygen and space.

  I didn't hesitate nor weigh the ethics of the move. I simply re-routed the primary siphons to the holding cells.

  "Core, initiate a 100% draw on all non-essential biological assets in Sector 12," I commanded.

  "Warning: Biological failure imminent for subjects in Sector 12," the Core’s mechanical voice replied.

  "I didn't ask for a warning. I asked for an initiation. Proceed."

  I watched the gauges. The mana-needle jumped. 50%. 55%. 60%. In Sector 12, the light in the cells turned a deep, predatory violet. I didn't watch the visual feed. I didn't need to see the bandits' faces as their very essence was converted into energy for my cannons. They were trespassers who had failed to pay their entry fee. Now, they were paying in full.

  By noon, the compression had hit 75%.

  "Gray?" Lilo's voice was sharp. "I see them. On the horizon. Not clouds. Metal. They're early."

  I looked at the clock. They were twenty hours ahead of schedule. The Empire wasn't just coming to stabilize; they were coming to strike before I could finish the work.

  "I didn't think they’d have the guts to push their engines that hard," I muttered. I stood up and adjusted my coat. "Lilo, get inside. Lito, get the men to the bunkers. We’re moving to the engagement phase."

  "But the shafts aren't finished!" Lito shouted over the intercom.

  "I didn't say we were using the shafts," I said. I looked at the 75% reading. "I said we were moving to the engagement phase. We’ll just have to be more... creative."