"Governor Charles, we need to get back as soon as possible and warn everyone about the Foundation's attitude. They are enemies, not friends!" a captain whose ship had been destroyed spoke solemnly to Charles.
Did the Foundation's negotiations fail, causing them to lash out in anger and dispatch the warplanes they already had waiting? All signs pointed to this, but Charles felt it was the least likely possibility. The Foundation isn't an impulsive group of children, acting on a whim. If they really intended to attack, it wouldn't be for such a flimsy reason.
Thinking again of the strange liquids found inside the spacesuits, Charles couldn't shake the feeling that something truly bizarre lay behind this attack. Standing beneath the Narwhal's bright searchlights, surrounded once more by the silent darkness, he pondered his next move.
"Get everyone and the wounded on board. Once I'm done handling a few things, we'll set out," Charles said to the three leading captains before him.
