There was a sharp tug at his conscience, a voice in his mind telling him to stop, that the risk to life was too high. But there was an even greater pull—a cold, survivalist instinct that told him to act without hesitation. Surviving was more important than dying for honor.
The clan was in a state of crisis; who knew what condition the rest of the empire was in? This was the time when the entire race needed every soldier and every ship they could muster. Letting his fleet be destroyed here was a cost the entire clan could not afford. This was just one star system—there were hundreds more.
Sacrifice one to save a hundred. A sacrifice worth making.
Those were the words that echoed in his mind, and he felt himself leaning further and further toward that dark necessity.
