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Hello all, here is the next chapter of Through the Horizon. I have the next few chapters planned and I hope to get this one back into production as soon as possible. A big thanks to my editor *coughs* and co-author *coughs* Dasher Cheetah. There will be sex in the next chapter, so I ask this question. What position should Bane take Dasher in the best answer gets into the story!

Through the Horizon: A Path Forward

Bane sat in his office aboard the Seamus Accendo. His mind raced with thoughts, worries, concerns, and decisions. He was the only force in the known galaxy capable of opposing the scavengers . . . yet he had no idea how the battle would turn out.

He knew the fight would be massive and that the casualties would be potentially extreme. Bane knew the losses would be hard to bear but there was no other choice. To not fight was to either flee before the Horde or face extinction. His hackles rose as he thought of the battle to come. No matter the foe, he was never one to just lie down and accept defeat. This was not a fight one could simply retreat from. There would be no second chance and no backup reserves to bolster any weakness in the lines. This was all or nothing and he was committing every ship he had, every ship the wolves had, everything the dragons had and what little the fox empire might be willing to commit to this battle. It would be the largest offensive ever launched and yet he still worried about the outcome.

Most of the ships were already in place, well out of range of the scavengers scanners. The extra time was being used to upgrade the fleets technology as much as was possible. Each ship was being prepared for extreme damage and extreme causalities. His ship would be the flagship of the battle. Besides being the most advanced ship in the Empire, his presence at the front would help inspire his people to fight harder. Secretly Bane admitted to himself that if they lost, there would be no Empire left to return to and death in battle was preferable to watching it all be destroyed, planet by planet.

His own ship was being prepared as they orbited the wolf home world but there was little for him to do about it. Seamus had risen to the occasion and with no explanation had stepped back into his former role aboard the ship. Nobody questioned his knowledge, but instead were grateful for it.

As Bane read over the reports flowing into his workstation, he felt inadequate to the task. Had he checked every possible thing he could? Was he missing anything that would help his side win?

The door buzzer yanked him from his concentration and with an irritated voice he called out, "Enter!" When the pneumatics hissed the door open, Dasher stepped through smiling as always. Dasher said, "Well, once again we sit on the brink glaring blankly into the abyss, awaiting dawn." Bane laughed and asked, "How long did it take you to think that one up?" Dasher chuckled and answered, "Half of breakfast today. So, how are you holding up?" Dasher approached his friend and took a seat opposite of him at the desk.

Bane chuckled and leaned back in his chair as he said, "You know, you always show up just as I think I need you." Dasher nodded with a warm smile and told Bane, "Well, first and foremost you are my friend and thus I am always going to try to be aware of your welfare. But moreover I am your advisor, and it is my job to advise you when I am able." Bane nodded and gave a slight smile in return before saying, "I have been thinking on our current situation. I believe that this is either a win or lose situation. There is no draw and no second chance. If we are defeated then everything is lost."

Dasher sat in quiet contemplation for a moment. Looking up with a serious expression he said, " I think I will have to disagree with you on this one. You have been moving forward with the idea of destroying their new base." Bane nodded and said, "Yes, I thought that was what we agreed was the best course of action." Dasher nodded and said, "Yes but here's the thing. They have seen our tactics and will expect a full frontal attack. What if we are simply thinking from the wrong angle? Doing the unexpected has always been a good tactic in war."

Bane sat and pondered these words a moment before slapping his palm on the table with the exclamation, "You're right; they will expect a full frontal attack!" Bane jumped up and ran onto the bridge. His second in command stood to announce his presence and was cut off by his commanding officer shouting out, "Communications officer, contact any ships that are approaching earth and recall them!" The communication officer typed quickly at his workstation and sent the message. He then turned and said, "Sir, all ships except one are reporting back." Bane took a seat in his chair as he asked, "Which ship is it?" The operations officer consulted his console and reported, "Sir, it's the Raven. A wolf ship dispatched to monitor the enemy. Their transponder is no longer broadcasting." Bane nodded with a frown and said, "Mark it as lost, presumed destroyed."

Alex sat beside Bane and asked, "Sir the ship was cloaked. How could they have known?" Bane chuckled, "Because I'm an idiot. I've been playing a two dimensional game with a three dimensional enemy." Alex tilted his head in confusion. Bane explained to his second in command, "Its like this Alex. At every battle, we have come out ahead but in doing so we have displayed our tactics. In other words, we have become predictable. As such they are expecting our moves." Alex nodded as what he was told sank in and he asked, "Alright, so what do we do now?" Bane grinned wolfishly and said, "We become unpredictable!"

With that Bane arose and walked back into his office. Dasher was sitting on the couch sipping a cup of coffee. He looked up calmly and observed, "It's rude to run out on a guest like that you know." Bane laughed and told him, "Yes but I had to confirm my suspicion. You are right, it's a trap." Dasher nodded at the expected news and asked, "So, what do we do?" Bane stared at the cheetah and said with a smile, "We send a smaller version of the omega bomb."

Dasher spat his coffee across the room, coughed and shouted, "Bane that is NOT what I had in mind!" Bane chuckled at the upset cat and said, "Indeed, however they have already destroyed the planet. The last scans showed the surface almost completely wiped clean. There are no survivors and they have began placing their equipment on it. If we strike now we can wipe it clean of them. It will be powerful enough to destroy even their ships in orbit and leave the planet in once piece."

Dasher nodded reluctantly and asked, "What then? Sure we can destroy worlds too but that is what we are trying to stop them from doing. Destroying the home world of so many people and the ancestral home of countless others is not going to sit well with very many people. "

Bane chuckled with a bitter tone to it and answered, "Dasher they have already destroyed it, all we are doing is wiping it clean again. Then we terraform the dead rock into what it once was. Establish it as a garden, for all to enjoy. We rebuild Earth as it should be and not what it became under human control." Dasher sat back and thought about it. Bane's words were true and the overall result of the battle would be the same. But the idea of wiping a planet bare of life was distasteful at best. It made the cheetah want to vomit and it showed on his face. Bane told him, "Dasher look, I don't like this anymore than you do. However if we go fight and manage to win, we will have to destroy what's left from orbit. We can't allow even one of them to escape. This accomplishes our goals with no ships lost on our side. We then guard it with the fleet we have and send whats left to deal with the fox empire."

Dasher blinked and asked, "Where did the fox empire come into this?" Bane chuckled at the puzzled look and how he got Dasher's mind off destroying a planet. He told his advisor and friend, "I've been doing some hard thinking on this. I highly doubt they try this again if we are successful but I have to plan ahead in case there are more of them out there than I think there is. Therefore, we will need a united empire to face them again. That and I have detected increased scavenger activity within the fox empire and they are powerless to stop them or us from doing whatever we want." Dasher sat back and considered this.

Bane sighed and tried to explain, "Dasher I know how much I've done over the past few months. Hell I just declared marshal law over the empire and annexed the wolves. This is not going to be a power play for the fox's territory. I want them to rule themselves but under the rulers in power now, they have no chance to raise themselves up."

Dasher chuckled and slowly shook his head as he said placatingly, "Hun, I was not thinking that it was. You detest being emperor; I can see it in your eyes. How often have I had to talk you through crisis after crisis about it? No, I know your motives are pure; I simply worry about the unforeseen consequences of these actions. To completely destroy a planet, one we have been called to protect ..."

Bane nodded with understanding and said firmly, "Dasher I understand, honestly I do but give me another option. If you see something better then I will go with it, but I will not send my entire fleet to die with no good result!" Dasher nodded and said, "Give me time to call together representatives from the dragons and wolves and let us discuss it. If we do this it needs to be a unanimous decision of all involved." Bane nodded, "if that's what you feel you need to do but Dasher, at the end of the day this is my call. I will not be told otherwise by anybody." Dasher nodded and said, "Trust me, I understand. I will fix it so both the dragons and the wolves agree. This will solidify your position with them as a leader who makes the tough decisions but still cares what his people think." With that the cheetah dashed out of the room. He had much work to do and little time to do it in. In his heart he knew Bane spoke the truth. . . A truth that was a bitter pill he simply could not swallow at the moment. They had destroyed enemy after enemy, and had never given it any thought. However, this was not just another bomb and it was not just another planet.

Ron sighed as he walked through the city. Often he would take walks to clear his mind. There was a lot on his mind and nobody to share it with. Seamus had left him a note that said he was aware of the pressures heaped upon him and as medical chief and his friend, Ron should take at least a half hour each day to get out of his work and into the green areas of the city.

His friends were not in the city at the moment, and even if they were, they had been somewhat distant as of late. Now that Scott was back, he knew he would lose his spot on the ruling council. What bothered him more was the fact that he would probably lose any and all contact with Bane. They had been so very close at one time, they had even been bed partners in the academy. However, now they were almost perfect strangers. It was as if Bane simply had no room for the fox in his life. Granted he had not spoken his feelings to Bane, but part of him said he shouldn't have to.

He sighed and gazed into one of the cities new reflecting pools. The fox looking back at him was tired looking. He chuckled, he had been through hell since he arrived in this reality. Where he came from was gone forever, and that was a hard pill to swallow. The time for themselves had been very hit or miss and Ron didn't know what to do about it. He knew his skills and knowledge were needed badly, just as Bane's were but how much did they have to give before there was no more to give? Without personal time to recharge and someone to relax with, Ron was feeling the breaking point getting nearer. He gave a deep sigh and looked into the pool. Slowly, he became aware that he was being watched. As he turned, he came nose to nose with another fox. The fox looked startled and slightly scared.

The first thing Ron noticed was the striking green of the fox's eyes. Ron smiled gently and a bit tiredly, then said, "Hello, can I help you?" The fox smiled back at him slightly embarrassed and said, "H...hello, my name is Zander. I have noticed that you frequent this little park as of late." Ron nodded as he replied, "Yes, I greatly enjoy this park. It's off the path so to speak, so its not as used as the other parks."

Zander nodded with a little smile and observed, "I would think privacy is a luxury you do not often get." Ron chuckled and returned, "Not usually." The fox nodded with a little more confidence and continued, "Well, I have been watching you for a little while now. Please pardon me but you seem very lonely." The fox instantly blushed deeply at his forwardness. It was quite cute and Ron chuckled as he motioned toward a bench at the edge of the pool in invitation and said, "Yes I suppose you could say that I am. However I think that it is normal for those of us in power to be isolated from others. We hardly have a 9 to 5 job that we can just leave and go home to the wife and kids from."

Zander nodded agreement and added, "That may be so but you still have feelings, emotions, and needs." Ron sat looking at the fox a moment and then impulsively asked, "Would you like to grab lunch?" Zander smiled and as he did, Ron drank in the appearance of the fox. Zander was orange with black paws and feet. His face was orange with black streaks running through his head fur. His eyes were a brilliant green. Zander smiled and said happily, "I would love to, lead the way!"

Ron and Zander walked side by side, they were headed to the Gatherer's Garden. It was a little place Ron had fallen in love with. It too was off the beaten path so it would provide privacy. Ron smiled at his new friend. Zander bushed a bit before saying, "I've been watching you for a while now. I admire you for what you have been able to accomplish for the empire." Ron chuckled, "Well yes, I've done a lot; had a lot done to me but at the end of the day none of it matters for much."

Zander stopped and turned to face his new friend. With a mixture of surprise and indignation, the red fox told Ron, "Of course it matters! Everybody's input matters when you face what we are facing. Could either Bane or Scott have given us the tech you have provided? It was thru that that we were able to defeat the dangers we faced. Without you, we would be picking among rubble for food instead of the rising level of prosperity we are enjoying."

Ron chuckled a bit depreciatingly and said with a hint of bitterness, "I know that but I mean it doesn't seem to matter to Bane. I've done so much and he ignores me. I feel like I don't exist to him anymore, and we used to be best of friends." Though he held it in, Ron's eyes grew a bit wet. Zander nodded in understanding and moved to lean nearer as he asked, "Ah, I think I see what you mean. Have you tried talking to him about this?" Ron shook his head, "no I haven't spoken with him about this. I just can't, I won't beg for his attention."

Zander smiled and looked around as they walked into the restaurant. Ron was well known and so they were seated immediately. They ordered and Zander continued, "Ron, you cannot hold your friend to standards he does not know exist. You have been through a lot, but so has he. He has lost his first mate, which is public knowledge; he has been forced to lead an empire he does not want, in a time that is not his own. You are chief engineer for the empire, and are responsible for things. He is responsible for the entire empire and it's people! Think how you would feel if every machine you worked on complained and fought you at every step. He has tried repeatedly to establish democracy only to have it thrown back in his face. He faces things that he keeps bottled up as much as he can. Perhaps he feels the only thing he has left to give you is to suffer in silence. You need to talk to him, express your feelings and go from there. Bane can barely spare enough time to think of Dasher either and Seamus is not getting all the attention he wants. Bane just doesn't have all the is demanded of him. Worse, he doesn't have enough for what he demands of himself." Ron sat in amazement at the fox in front of him. It occurred to Ron that he had been as trusting of Zander as he would be of Dasher or Bane and that was not usual for him. Ron then asked directly, "Zander, what is it that you do here?"

Zander chuckled and looked quite happy as he said, "I am a therapist and an empath." Ron chuckled in wonder before asking, "So this entire time..." Zander blushed and admitted, "I first noticed you a few months ago and could feel your pain. I wanted to approach you, to help you. But you see, well . . . I'm normally too shy to do such a thing. I have a small practice set up here. I see patience five days a week but you were the patient that really called to me." Ron nodded, yet felt there was more to the story than he was being told. Zander blushed deeper and quickly told him, "I didn't mean that I think you're a nutcase." Ron laughed, "Its okay Zander, I think I understand. Thank you." With that Ron leaned over and kissed the fox on the cheek.

Bane sat in his office, his head in his paws. The door hissed open and he looked up thru tired, bloodshot eyes to see Dasher stepping into his office. With a welcoming smile that the cheetah seemed to bring with him, Bane said. "Good evening Dash, didn't expect to see you again today." Dasher laughed as he walked over and said, "Takes more than you nuking a planet out of existence to run me off . . . for long."

Bane chuckled wearily and asked, "You know I really don't want to do this right?" Dasher nodded and reassured Bane, "Yes, I know Bane and I've thought about it all day. As much as it pains me to say it, you're right. If we send in ships to do this we will likely lose most of them but the result will be the same. With this we can destroy them with minimal losses to our own fleet." Bane nodded with a sigh and said, "We can strike a blow to them without losing more men. At this point, all I'm worried about is lives lost." Dasher nodded and told Bane, "I hope you have one hell of a speech prepared for this."

Bane replied, "I have a meeting with Shadow to inform him of my plans, will you stay for it?" Dasher nodded and moved to stand beside Bane's right shoulder as the door buzzed. Bane called out strongly, "Enter!"

Shadow walked into the room and stood before Bane. With a respectful bow, the dragon asked, "I am a few minutes early, am I interrupting something?" Dasher shook his head and smiled to Shadow as he said, "No, I was just here for the meeting myself. Bane asked me to sit in on it, as an advisor/diplomatic role."

Shadow nodded and turned his attention back to the Emperor as he asked, "Alright, what's this meeting about? The request for me to come was formal, so I am guessing this is about the war?" Bane cleared his throat and stood up. Looking across, into Shadow's eyes he began, "Well as you know, Earth has been taken by the Scavengers and we cannot allow then to keep it." Shadow nodded and responded, "Yes, we were all briefed on the plan." Bane nodded and looked serious as he announced, "The plan has changed. I will be using an Omega Bomb on Earth."

Shadow sat frozen in shock as he thought, 'He can't have just said that, can he?' Shadow only let his emotion show by raising his voice a little bit as he asked, "Excuse me?"

Bane sighed and told the dragon emissary, "Shadow look, there's nothing left of earth. They have wiped the surface clean and are installing their weapons on it. They have turned it into a battle station. With this we can wipe them all out with one blow and not lose any more ships or men. Without it, there is a very real possibility that they could win against us and all of the Empires left helpless before them. When the war is over, we can restore it with terraforming and bring it back."

Dasher stepped forward and said, "May I, your highness? Shadow, I had the same reaction until I considered it. In fact, I was less composed than you are when Bane told me. Bane is right. His way saves time, effort, lives, and most importantly wins the day. A full out attack will fail. They are expecting us; we have already established that with the loss of the Raven. Shadow I find this just as distasteful as you do, however at this point we have to consider the cost of a full out attack. Is it really worth it?"

Shadow looked from Wolf to Cheetah and weighed what he knew of both of them. After a brief consideration he said, "Well as always, you have the Dragon Empire's support, Talon warned me you might do this. The human world is very far away from our sphere of influence and we do not deal with them. Confidentially, we think they are avaricious and duplicitous, on the whole."

Bane was relieved and tilted his head as he asked, "How did he know?" Shadow laughed and said, "Because desperate times call for desperate measures!"