The cycle continues because we've never given them a reason to stop."

"So we make them stop," Jorghan continued, his voice carrying quiet certainty.

"We take a team directly into the Imperial capital. We demonstrate that their borders aren't protection, that their central authority is vulnerable, and that continuing to target elven populations will have consequences they can't ignore."

Patriarch Kal'tun's eyebrows had climbed toward his hairline.

"You're proposing we strike at the heart of the Empire itself? Do you have any concept of the defenses surrounding their capital? The military installations, the magical barriers, the sheer concentration of force they maintain?"

"I have some concept," Jorghan replied dryly.

"I just fought thousands of their soldiers and destroyed six of their airships. I understand Imperial military capability. But I also understand that they've never had to defend their capital from a serious threat. Their defenses are designed to stop armies, not small, highly capable teams operating with specific objectives."

Tadrukein's vertical pupils dilated with interest.

"What kind of team are you envisioning? How many, with what capabilities?"

"Small," Jorghan said immediately.

"Maybe ten to fifteen individuals maximum. Each one would be chosen for specific skills. Infiltration specialists, essence manipulators, and warriors capable of operating independently. We wouldn't be trying to conquer the capital or hold territory. We'd be delivering a message."

"What message?"

Indriyani asked, her pale eyes fixed on him with calculating intensity.

"And how do you deliver it without starting a full-scale war that would destroy us all?"

Jorghan's expression became harder.

"The message is simple. Continue harvesting our people, and we'll kill your Emperor. Not 'might kill' or 'threaten to kill.' We demonstrate we have access, we have capability, and the only thing preventing execution is our restraint. Make it clear that restraint is conditional on their behavior."

The reaction was immediate and chaotic.

-

Multiple clan heads tried to speak simultaneously, voices rising, arguments overlapping. Madayanti raised her hand for order, her expression carrying shock she was trying to control.

"Absolutely not," she said firmly once the noise subsided.

"Assassinating the Emperor would unite the entire Empire against us. Every human territory, every allied species, and every military force they command would focus on elven extermination. You'd be condemning us all to genocide."

"Would we?" Jorghan challenged.

"Or would we be demonstrating that we're not helpless victims waiting to be harvested?

Right now, the Empire sees us as resource pools. Easy targets with valuable genetics and no real capacity for retaliation. Killing their Emperor changes that calculation fundamentally."

Korreth shook his head violently.

"It changes it from 'profitable harvesting operation' to 'existential threat requiring total elimination.' That's not an improvement."

"He has a point about the demonstration, though," Citrangada interjected, her face thoughtful.

"Not the killing part, but the access part. If we can prove we can reach the Emperor, that we can bypass all their defenses and put a blade to the throat of their highest authority, that's leverage. That's the kind of deterrent that might actually stop the harvesting."

Yasoraga leaned forward, her analytical mind clearly working through scenarios.

"The problem is credibility. We'd need to actually demonstrate access, not just claim it. But demonstrating it without following through on assassination creates a different problem. We'd prove we could kill him but chose not to, which suggests either weakness or unwillingness to follow through on threats."

"Not if we frame it correctly," Naikini spoke up from where clan representatives sat. Her golden eyes were bright with interest.

"We don't threaten assassination as a possibility. We deliver it as an inevitable consequence. 'Continue this path, and your Emperor dies. This is not negotiable. This is not a bluff. This is simply cause and effect.'"

Kal'tun's massive hands gripped his throne's armrests.

"And when they test that threat? When they capture more elves to see if we're serious?

What then? We actually kill the Emperor and trigger the full-scale war Matriarch Madayanti warned about?"

"Or we don't," Jorghan replied, "and we lose all credibility, making the situation worse than before we tried."

He paused, his expression becoming more thoughtful.

"Unless we structure this differently. Not as a threat of assassination, but as a demonstration of access combined with clear boundaries."

He began pacing within the circle, his movements controlled despite the intensity of his words. "We infiltrate the capital. We reach the Emperor in a context where killing him would be trivial. Private quarters, isolated moments, whatever. And instead of killing him, we deliver a message directly. No intermediaries, no possibility of miscommunication."

"What message?" Indriyani pressed.

"Threats won't work if we're not willing to follow through."

"Not threats," Jorghan corrected.

"Warning. We tell him exactly what line he's crossing, exactly what consequences will follow, and exactly why it's in his interest to stop. We make him understand that the harvesting isn't just morally wrong; it's strategically stupid because it's creating enemies with nothing left to lose."

Patriarch Vel'moth of the Nue'roka spoke hesitantly.

"But we are desperate. We are losing. Won't he recognize that and simply ignore the warning?"

"Not if we demonstrate capability while delivering it," Jorghan replied.

"The warning isn't 'stop or we'll try to hurt you.' It's 'stop or we'll redirect all our remaining resources toward making your continued existence impossible.' We prove we can reach him, prove we chose restraint over violence, and make clear that restraint has limits."

Tadrukein's expression had shifted from skepticism to something approaching approval.

"It's bold. Probably insane. But it has a certain logical elegance. The Empire respects strength. Demonstrating we can reach their Emperor despite all their defenses is a form of strength they'd have to acknowledge."

"The Emperor is their god, and if we can threaten his existence, then they will falter."

"It's also incredibly risky," Madayanti countered.

"If the infiltration fails, if team members are captured, the Empire gains valuable intelligence about our capabilities. They learn our methods, our limits, and our desperation. That information could make future operations impossible."

-

The debate continued, arguments flowing back and forth with increasing complexity. Some clan heads supported elements of Jorghan's proposal while rejecting others. Some wanted more aggressive action, others more conservative approaches.

Gradually, through the chaos of competing voices, a rough consensus began forming.

Matriarch Sashrutiena articulated it first.

"What if we accept the infiltration concept but remove the assassination component entirely? We're not threatening to kill the Emperor. We're demonstrating that our people are not helpless, that we have capabilities the Empire hasn't accounted for, and that continued aggression will be met with responses they won't enjoy."

"That's just showing off without substance," Korreth argued.

"They'll laugh at us for sneaking in just to talk."

"Will they?" Yasoraga's voice carried calculation.

"If Jorghan Sol'vur, the warrior who destroyed an entire Imperial deployment single-handedly, infiltrates their capital and reaches their Emperor, that's not just 'showing off.' That's a terrifying demonstration that their supposedly impregnable defenses are actually quite penetrable."

Indriyani nodded slowly.

"And if the message delivered isn't a threat but a simple statement of fact, it becomes more credible. Not 'we'll kill you if you continue' but 'continuing this path leads to escalation neither side can control, and we're giving you the opportunity to choose a different path before that becomes inevitable.'"

Citrangada's tail swished with enthusiasm.

"I like it. It's aggressive without being suicidal. It demonstrates strength without committing to actions that would destroy us. And honestly, the psychological impact of knowing elven operatives can reach the Emperor himself might be more effective than actually killing him."

Kal'tun remained skeptical but was clearly considering the revised proposal.

"It still requires successfully infiltrating the Imperial capital, bypassing whatever security they maintain around the Emperor, and extracting safely. Those aren't trivial challenges."

"Which is why the team would be small and highly capable," Jorghan said, recognizing the debate was shifting toward acceptance of the core concept even if the execution details remained contested.

"We're not trying to fight our way in and out. We're using stealth, misdirection, essence manipulation, whatever tools give us the best chance of access without triggering a full defensive response."

Madayanti had been quiet for several minutes, clearly working through implications.

When she spoke again, her voice carried the weight of reluctant acceptance.

"If we do this, if we actually attempt infiltration of the Imperial capital, it needs to be structured as precisely as possible. Clear objectives, defined parameters, and absolute understanding that this is deterrence rather than aggression. No killing unless absolutely necessary for escape."

She looked directly at Jorghan.

"And it needs to be led by someone who understands restraint as well as capability. Someone who won't let bloodline instinct override strategic judgment."

The implication was clear. She was talking about him. Testing whether he could be trusted with this kind of operation.

Jorghan met her gaze steadily.

"I destroyed an army but let two enemies escape when killing them would have been easier. I've demonstrated I can control myself rather than being controlled by it. If you're asking whether I can infiltrate without turning it into a massacre, the answer is yes."

Tadrukein hissed softly, a sound that might have been approval.

"The question isn't his capability. It's whether the rest of the Council will support this operation knowing it could trigger exactly the escalation we're trying to avoid."

"The clans are trying to rebuild," Patriarch Korven said quietly, speaking for the survivors.

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