"Okay. Then I should do that to see if we can't do better recon, but we shouldn't plan contingent on that."

"They might not kill all their hostages if we storm them but if not it will only be so they can still be used to threaten us."

"Sparkles, are you capable of doing ranged lifeforce transfer? If you could load the hostages with enough health..."

"I do need to know enough to aim but yes."

"Omnidirectional lifetransfer? Or could you just metaphorically spray lifeforce in a direction? It's not like a bunch of random people being extra healthy is likely to be a terrible thing."

"I need to have a specific target in mind, I can't just throw lifeforce at random things."

Do you think my empathy should be enough to provide a target?

"If you have a way to transmit me the locations, probably."

Felix transmits locations of someone on the other side of the base who was already contacted for this purpose.

"That works, yes."

And I can penetrate perception wards, but it takes mental effort.

We could have Henry break the wards. Or see if you develop super-speed like the other Felix. Or figure out a plan that involves securing everyone's health in the station first.

"You've tested wards?"

Lord lifts his gaze from the notes he has been taking. "Of course. What kind of sloppy scientific job do you think I do?"

"Good point."

Lord goes back to focusing on his work.

Well, that is a potential avenue to avoid the hostages being used against us and which we can investigate beforehand. Any obvious problems that this approach could cause?

"Henry's thing isn't enough to break the wards, they detect us before we can make progress, even if Henry can break the wards they'd notice that and Sparkles wouldn't have time to do anything with the information—"

"Henry's anti-magic has an undesirable interaction - the broken wards produce a dangerous effect or he breaks life support," Temperance adds. "Even if Sparkles has time to get some people she may not get everyone. ...In the long term they might decide that taking hostages is not worth it and then just kill people from now on?"

Killing any potential hostage would cost the Federation too much and gain them little. If they believe we can contact loved ones then they must believe we can contact anyone.

"What would it actually cost them?"

It's generally better for them to have the loved ones as bait and have the threat of their death than killing them all at once.

"Yeah but if they concluded the hostages weren't creating appropriate incentives..."

I have to agree with that possibility, Fenris.

What could we do in that case then?

"Stealth seems like the most desirable trait of any infiltration plans, but difficult to arrange. We might benefit from brainstorming means to get that."