The Scholar 3

"What are your impressions of them?" The Captain was seated on the bridge, keeping an eye on the situation and giving commands that would serve to shorten their time in combat.

"She has incredible potential." The Scholar, standing at attention to his side, gave his honest assessment of Diana.

"And the boy?"

"I have not had the opportunity to talk with him, but if Diana's description of his lifestyle and achievements are anything to go by, then he also has the capacity for greatness."

The Captain gave a short order to the Helmsman to adjust his course slightly before placing his hand on his chin and thinking. He was silent for a period of time, contemplating something with unfocused eyes.

"What leads you to your assessment?"

"I cannot give a rational explanation for my assessment of Donovan, but I feel I can adequately justify my rating of Diana. For one she is very intelligent, perhaps surpassing me, though whether that comes from a vast quantity of knowledge or a superior quality of knowledge I have been unable to determine. She understands the precarious position that she is in, and her ability to act calm and collected even though she may be panicking is a rare occurrence.

She also possesses and acute awareness that the secrets of her society are powerful chips, and that the more information she can gather on our world the better her chances of survival are. I can tell that she was able to glean far more about our society from our conversation than I had intended to let off from the progression of her questions.

It pains me to admit this, but I was put into a situation where she was able to speak down on me in the field of academia and politics."

"You were beaten in a debate?"

"Calling it a debate would be an insult. It felt more akin to a lecture from my mother or professor than a conversation between equals."

"Interesting. What makes you so confident of the boy, Donovan?"

"While most of the information I received about him was secondhand, from Diana, I took the liberty of analyzing his injuries and came to a few conclusions about his ability to pilot that ship of theirs.

From Diana, I learned that he is her counterpart in more ways than one. Her skills are far more oriented towards peace and diplomacy. Donovan was groomed from a very young age to be a master of war, and it would appear he exceeded their expectations. She did not say much about it, but his theories on the construction and deployment of warships were put to use almost immediately upon they were reviewed.

From the injuries he sustained, I am led to believe he has an astonishing level of willpower and vitality. He may not be the trained to any significant degree in hand to hand combat, but the injuries he sustained and managed to stay conscious with would be enough to kill or disable even the most veteran and sturdy of our warriors. The Healer corroborated this assessment, adding that these injuries likely occurred a few hours before she had the opportunity to treat him.

According to my knowledge of the greatest physical specimens, few if any would be able to remain combat capable under the combination of Split decay, fractured bones, head trauma, and poison."

"I thought the same." The Captain had wealth of knowledge, perhaps not enough to rival the Scholar, but what he lacked in information he made up for with experience and his ability to make accurate assessments.

The biggest difference between the two was their jobs, one to lead, and one to learn.

"What do you think the best course of action to protect them will be Captain? Geniuses though they may be, there are only two of them. They lack allies, resources, and reputation. They don't even have a planet to call home."

"I have been thinking hard about this. I know just as well as you or position precludes us from a great many options. I learned much of their moral and legal codes from my later discussions with the good Doctor Helmsguard. Perhaps it would be best to suggest they enter the protection of the Holifanians."

"Holifania? Those recluses? Why do you think they would be the best option?" The Scholar seemed shocked, as if this was a bad suggestion. "They may be unlikely to take advantage of them, but I can't imagine they would offer their assistance either."

"I have my reasons. For one, I think their proclivity towards keeping to themselves is something that would be beneficial to Diana and Donovan. So long as they do not go out of their way to interrupt Holifania's peace, they would likely be free to develop and expand as they please. Their ethics seem to match very closely as well.

If, and this is a very shaky if, they manage to get into the good graces of their council and parliament, it would not be out of the question that they receive material and military benefits as well. Should negotiations between them go exceptionally well, Holifania might even be convinced to give them control of one of their many exclaves.

Perhaps the biggest reason is that they are true to their words. If they say they shall protect them, then they shall receive protection. Holifania may not be particularly aggressive, but they are certainly a force to be reckoned with militarily."

"Those are all excellent points, but what will you do if they don't agree to make them a protectorate?"

"I do not think there would be any other option than to bring them into the Sanctum."

"You would ruin their hopes at a future?"

"From the little history of theirs I have had the pleasure of learning about, I know the Holifanians are the only ones that wouldn't end up killing them."

"Is it because they are a peaceful race?" The Scholar had only learned of their language, not of their past.

This lapse in thought was uncharacteristic of the Scholar, what peaceful society would prioritize Militancy in one of the two people chosen to succeed them?

"No, Scholar. It is because only an extremely peaceful ideology would be willing to harbor one that becomes violent out of desperation."