Saurgon sat at the command desk of the light-cannon’s observation deck, his yellow-green eyes fixated on the blue world floating in front of him, pleased to see his task of raining destruction on the hoonahs proceeding well. From a cage set on the desk, he lifted a possum-like creature by its tail and regarded it thoughtfully.
“Notoonu hoonah,” he murmured, “Little hoonah, whose blood tastes so sweet, I must make a decision about your cousins on Eka soon.”
A subordinate entered and saluted. “Hoonah seesque tonoh—” he reported, “The enemy transmitter aiming its signal at Noqui has been silenced.”
“Hnnh,” Saurgon murmured. “Dooleenko—Excellent. Has the entire planet been swept of radio transmitters, Tekkoo?”
“It has, with the exception of a few puny mobile ones of little consequence.”
“And all hoonah military units have been paralyzed?”
“They have.”
“Good. Have you had any communication from the High Priest of Life?”
“None since shortly after his landing. He is missing.”
“And dead, I presume, by the hand of a hoonah.” Saurgon twisted the tail of the little hoonah and looked at it looking at him, nose to nose. “So, Gar’s voice in support of the earthly hoonahs is silenced.”
“He has not been heard from in more than a day.”
“In the absence of Gar to defend them, I decide here and now what shall become of the hoonahs.” He killed the hoonah with a swift bite and gulped it down whole.
“Should you seek Oogon’s concurrence?”
“Oogon?” Saurgon gulped hard to force the hoonah down. “He has never held any opinion of earthly hoonahs except that they must be exterminated. I myself am only curious to find out how they taste. Gar would argue them worthy of some better fate, but I have no such concern.”
Tekkoo nodded. Saurgon looked again at the smoke wisps on Eka. “Begin targeting their population centers, Tekkoo. You must cause a great dying in their cities such as has not been seen since the asteroid Kela destroyed our world.”
Tekkoo bowed and withdrew to begin his preparations.