- Ecology of the Scro Pt 2

Ecology of the Scro Pt 2 , Continued

        We returned to our firing point and waiting for us was a scro I did not
recognize nor had ever seen before in my year on the station. He was of
average height for a scro but dressed rather strangely, bearing no armor
and wielding no weapon I could see. He was not a Warpriest for he wore no
torekgh and no sign of Dukagsh. For a moment I thought he might have been
one of the secret Black scromages, that were rarely seen but on the main
world and in large bases serving the generals and almighty leaders
directly. Falchatz greeted him and introduced us. ^ÓSark of tribe
Throatripper this is Maelash, a morag and native of this sphere.^Ô
        I was stunned and amazed. A vanished Morag? Alive and here? But he
looked like-
        ^ÓI see you notice the similarity between our peoples.^Ô Maelash answered
with an unusual accent that was faintly detectable. ^ÓI assure you it is
of interest to my people as well.^Ô
        I did not miss his meaning. ^ÓThen your race has survived somehow the
tragedy that befell your worlds. Now you have returned and found us here
as well.^Ô
        ^ÓSomething like that. As Falchatz will tell you we do not share
everything about ourselves, much like you. But we have found more common
ground with your race than with others in our explorations of the
spheres. The elves are no friends of ours. Therefore for now we aid you
at times in your growth and preparation.^Ô
        ^ÓThis is another example of how we have such respect for your people.
Recently we revealed a technique in the manufacture of firearms we call
rifling of the barrels. Your gunsmiths have taken that idea and added to
it and produced this!^Ô
        With a proud flourish he produced from his empty hand a tall rifle with
an odd looking handle near the trigger guard. It was the first lever
action rifle that could hold fourteen rounds of ammunition in cartridges
and be fired quickly and continuously before requiring reloading. I was
able to fire that weapon along with the general and we both put several
rounds into that tree at 500 yards and each one sunk into the wood and
could not be dug out with a knife. Maelash later excused himself and
disappeared with a chant. Falchatz told me only that Maelash was a
powerful Wizard among his people, more powerful than any of our
Warpriests or black scromages. He trusted him as an ally but did not hold
any illusions about the limits of that trust.
        ^ÓThe morag look like scro. They tend to think like scro. But until
Dukagsh reveals to me that they are scro I will not stop planning to
destroy them someday if it becomes necessary. In the meantime though they
have helped us accomplish many things and we have added to them. The war
will begin next year, nearly a hundred years ahead of schedule. By then
ten thousand of these rifles will be in the hands of our warriors. Every
year after another thirty thousand will be added. This is the beginning
of the Mohr Kraz of our race, for all roads lead to the elven
destruction.^Ô
        He then gave me that rifle, and it is the same that I hold here today.
The war has been full of misinformation and continued underestimation of
my people by the elves and others. It will continue to be your downfall.
It is commonly thought and believed that we conquered only three spheres
within the known spheres and fled one. But I have seen the reports and
visited the spheres of our conquest before my forced flight from my
people. In eleven years we have conquered fourteen spheres and slain
every elf and ally of the elves within them. We still occupy those and
have fortified them and build our strength and gather resources there.
Another six spheres we have invaded and tested then faded away to draw
troops from other areas and achieve our goals. We do not send a hundred
ships when two saboteurs will do.
        Despite the elven belief of the security of their great headquarters
Lionheart, I can assure the elves that we have followed the bases
location for years and I have seen detailed plans to neutralize it if it
ever becomes necessary. But quite frankly the scro do not see that as
necessary at this time. Lionheart is a great squabbling house where the
elves send their many messages and listen to rumors and wring their
delicate hands. Many of those rumors are manufactured by us. The elves
then lose all that information in their own interests. No, Lionheart is
no threat to us now, we will destroy it someday when it becomes apparent
that there are no more important targets left. I have offered to share
this with the elves also. Again they refused. The elves continue to
remain stagnant and unchanging, even though we have handed them the
greatest defeats of their recent history. Unless they change they will
fall even more quickly when the next assault begins.
        Another threat I can verify with the recent years is the return of the
ogre fleets to the spacelanes. The ogre Reavers are not well organized,
but they are smarter than their planetbound kin and intent on gaining
wealth and power in the chaos that has resulted from our war. They are
not a large threat but they move in fleets large enough to challenge most
convoys. Of course the scro are not allied with them directly, but are
not above giving them intelligence about merchant lines that are
providing supplies to the elves or working for the elven Sindiath line.
        This second unhuman war as you humans call it is only a step in our war.
The scro have studied it and learned from it. Implemented new ideas,
tactics and weapons and building strength in their positions before they
strike again. But do not believe they are not working against you even
now. Secret raids by Swiftstrike teams like the one I was a part of are
still conducted. Saboteurs have infiltrated and decimated hundreds of
supply vessels, merchant companies and asteroid cities. Slowly, step by
step the war of attrition continues. Just as slowly the death knell of
the EIN rings. I pray they will change their ways and prepare differently
to whatever god will listen to an exiled scro.
        For this reason then I have made this offer and received the generous
assistance of the seekers in speaking here to you tonight. Among you
tonight I understand that there are ambassadors from the dwarven nations,
various human kingdoms and more than a few elves. I know that the elves
would never be allowed to be here in any ^Óofficial^Ô capacity for the EIN,
but I fully hope that you especially will weigh my words and return to
your leaders and tell them of what truth I speak. The war has been
relatively easy for us so far, but the war of lies and deceit that the
scro have waged has easily been the most outstanding victory to their
credit. It is commonly believed that we do not have that many ships or
that we began the war with little preparation. When I was cast out two
years ago our fleets had over two thousand ships. The shipyards in
Moragspace were producing another twenty a year. That was one of our
smaller shipyards. The Glorenth shipyards can produce as many as two
hundred. Our methods of manufacturing far exceed any other race, except
perhaps the Arcane. Remember also as I said before, we have prepared for
this war and studied this war since Dukagsh first called us Scro over
three hundred years ago. Nothing was done in haste but everything was
measured and calculated. The greatest majority of our losses in this
first stage of the war have been our humanoid allies and hired
mercenaries.
        The scro mainly use the mantis, battlewagon and warboar as their fleet
ships. The viper is also a popular design and we have been successful in
rebuilding them true to the original designs. We have commandeered,
stolen and conquered many other ships as well, including more than a few
elven crusaders, man-o-war^Òs and even an armada. The armada was used
twice to gain entrance to strongly fortified elven outposts and strike
from within. We have filled more than one man-o-war with smokepowder and
Greek fire and smashed it into a docking port or elven armada ring using
goblin shamans or charmed humans. We favor using charmed elves of course
but they are particularly resistant to charming magic^Òs. You elves have
heard these stories no doubt, so you know I speak the truth. But the
stolen armada is a little known fact.
        However all of these things are little known, yet known to a few. But
tonight I will give you information concerning something which is known
to no elf, and no man and few scro. For though many know of Gamaro base
and Moragspace, few know of the secrets that lie there, secrets that
include the witchlight marauders that the scro keep there and how they
use them.

                The Words of One Who is Tested and True,
                                             Sark of tribe Throatripper

        The description of Gamaro base given by Sark was lengthy and discussed
for two days by those in attendance. An abbreviated digest of the details
is provided here because we seekers seek all knowledge, and the scro have
certainly begun to shape the face of the spheres.
        It should be added that three years before this meeting with Sark, a
joint force of elven imperial navy and two human kingdoms sent a strike
force against Gamaro in response to rumors of a witchlight marauder on
the base and tales of some device that would allow any possessor to
control the witchlight marauders. The strike force was never heard from
again. Four months after gaining the intelligence offered by Sark another
better prepared strike force set out for Gamaro in Moragspace and
enlisted his aid in their preparation. Sark did so willingly but warned
them that the scro were likely prepared for anything short of an all out
assault on the base, and that singular spy forces would be best. He was
ignored and the band set out with several powerful mages in tow and
dangerous weapons and cloaked vessels to approach the base.
        Only one wizard returned due to a powerful contingency spell he had
placed upon himself. The elven wizard took two weeks to recover, and has
never been the same since. His memories of the assault  are few and
painful to relate, but what is clear is that the scro had many new
surprises waiting for them, beyond what Sark knew or guessed about in his
years of exile from the scro.
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