Line in the Sand

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Line in the Sand is a short story from The Road to War, volume two of the Course Books. It is the first chronological appearance of Hokori.

The story deals with a particularly massive assualt fleet launched from an overlooked corner of the verse. The concern is not that the illustrious Gudersnipe Foundation will be unable to stop it as much as whether they stop it before billions of innocent civilians are killed.

While the Alliance is understandably concerned, the Foundation does not percieve this particular attack as much of a threat. It is a very massive fleet, to be sure, but so is that of the Foundation. Again, the question is not "can they win?" but "can they stop the enemy fleet before it reached the civilian population?".

The solution, of course, is to turn the conflict over to the Foundation's "golden boy", the Dragon of the Setting Sun, Hunter Jusenkyou. Despite all odds, he stalls the entire fleet using thirty ships, long enough for the Foundation's counter-offensive.

While not immediately evident in the story, this particular piece highlights the the decision-making paradigm of a world still reeling from the Kamian Succession Wars. Instructor Gailen, who fought in the Wars and made his name in the Foundation, is particularly affected by the situation.

Last time a large fleet came out of nowhere, the war lasted for 700 years and then entire verse was changed forever. People were just getting used to the way life is, and growing to accept the fact that it will never again be the way it was.