They leave a microphone and communicator and instructions in the cache they leave Ma'ar. And they wait.

Just a little over an hour after the initial scry-conversation, the cache of items is collected. Not by Ma'ar; a group of other soldiers, visible on the sensors and video footage, Gate in, orient to the scene - without saying anything out loud that the microphone can pick up on - and then grab the package and Gate out. The other hyperspace signature isn't apparent anywhere; the mage-recruit thinks it's probably somewhere thoroughly shielded, Ma'ar isn't stupid. 

Less than ten minutes later, and before anything comes in on the communicator, Mhalir's second-in-command interrupts Carissa. "We, uh, I think we have a problem." 

"Hmm?"

"Ma'ar said he'd hold off on ordering his troops to take the Gate, right? But - uh, we're not sure from the surveillance what happened, exactly, it looks like maybe it was on Urtho's side - some of his soldiers suddenly retreated, and some of the mages on that side started attacking their own side - and then Ma'ar's troops responded by advancing, could've been their standing orders if they saw an opening... I don't really know, is what I'm saying, but - uh - it's looking pretty messy out there." 

" - damn it. Okay. Do we have - any way to intervene - I guess we could blow things up from space but that seems like it might just make everything worse -"

"Uh, no, I really don't think that would help! Do you, er, have any way of locating Ma'ar or talking to him again...?" 

"I can try to scry him again but the crystal ball gets worse over time. He has the communications devices, if he decides to use them."

"I...am worried that he is very busy right now. And might not even feel he has time to look at our proof, let alone talk to us." 

"Yes, it seems likely. I can try him again."

She does that, with the crystal ball.

It works.

Ma'ar is in a tent. Pacing again.

"Anything yet?" he snaps to a nearby person. 

"No, sir. Conn Levas is - either dead or he's blocking my comms spell. Sir." 

"Goddamnit." Ma'ar clenches a fist, slams it through the air. "...We cannot stop this. Can we." 

"Sir, I mean, I can try for his subordinates... My suspicion is that he is on Shaiknam's side, though. And - if we tell individual units to stand down, they will only be slaughtered." 

Ma'ar stops pacing. Stands on the spot for a long moment; it's really not more than five seconds but it seems to stretch on forever. 

"...Give the formal order to our troops," he says finally. "Their objective is to take the Gate-terminus. Intact if possible." 

He reminds her so much of Mhalir. Though she could be imagining it because she's looking at everything through that frame.

This makes sense but also she's terrified that it's a really bad decision but all of her evidence for that is stories from other worlds and objectively that's not any kind of reason at all.

The mage recruit steps forward. "Uh, if I let one of the Thoughtsensers read your mind and relay the image to me, it might be enough to go on that I could Gate to where he is?" 

"I don't know if that'd help but you're welcome to read my mind for the location."

One of the Thoughtsensers and voluntary hosts steps forward. 

"- Er, I can't see very well - do you have some kind of spell or shield against mindreading...?" 

" - oh." And she pulls her hair off. "Now?"

"- Yeah, got it now." 

There's a long pause. 

"...Should we - do something?" Mhalir's second-in-command asks quietly. "I - goddamn it, people are dying out there, they're - mages from both sides setting things on fire... Mhalir would be -" So upset and angry and sad, but he doesn't finish the sentence. "Can you, uh, talk to him...?" 

"I can...try?" What got through to Mhalir - it was a lot of things, and he'd needed time - 

"Ma'ar?" she says.

Ma'ar jumps, flinging up every shield he can. 

"I did not give the order," he hisses back. "It - I cannot stop it now, I would have, I tried. What do you want from me." 

"I think you're making a mistake and you'd stop making it if you weren't so scared and I have no idea how to help but I have to try! Look, this is - bigger, than your war, you have to have noticed that, right, you don't have to do the blood magic thing that Urtho's mad about if you have stuff from us to solve all your problems..."

"I - I understand that - look–"

And then there is a violent explosion of magic, slamming into her spell, which comes apart. 

" - something happened. Probably an attack -"