Zaarin froze. He felt as though a flame burned within Olegar's gaze, scorching his soul. The fire spread along that line of sight and into his mind, and memories surged like a tide. Whispers seemed to rise from the depths of his soul, leaving everything he had once been with nowhere to hide amid the flames...
Then his gaze became calm. The fear in his eyes vanished, and his trembling body gradually stilled.
Demetrius Zaarin smiled faintly and turned to his adjutant, Kronda. "All right, we're safe now. Lord Olegar will protect us."
"Lord Marshal... this man absolutely cannot be trust—" Kronda stopped halfway through the sentence. Then his expression also became calm. He nodded and loudly issued his orders. "Adjust formation immediately! Merge into Olegar's Fist's formation! Prepare to engage the Imperial fleet!"
The remnants of Zaarin's fleet immediately sped toward Olegar's Fist's fleet and merged into its battle formation, deploying a neat and orderly defensive formation.
Standing before the holographic tactical star map in the bridge command center, Demetrius Zaarin summoned his combat commander, Raven, and said, "From now on, command of the entire Olegar's Fist fleet is yours."
"Me? This..." Raven was overwhelmed by the unexpected honor and did not know what to say for a moment. But then his expression became calm and confident. "Yes, sir. Compared to that rabble of pirates, I am indeed the most suitable candidate. Lord Olegar's foresight is truly admirable."
"Then start preparing! Thrawn's fleet will arrive soon. We must strike them head-on!" Zaarin said. "As for me, I will immediately proceed to Lord Olegar's flagship and report the scientific research results our forces have brought with us."
Raven immediately got to work. He quickly connected his command system to the network of Olegar's flagship, then completed tactical synchronization across the