820, Position
So, although the Confederacy of Independent Systems spoke of ideals and freedom, in reality it was still exploiting and oppressing others. It was only because of the Galactic Republic's previous actions that the Confederacy's corporate magnates had been able to conceal that exploitation and oppression beneath bright, glamorous slogans.
They made the impoverished planets of the Outer Rim tighten their belts and scrape the last of their food stores from the bottoms of their pots into the pockets of those corporate magnates, then had those magnates fight this war for them.
A war whose outcome had long since been decided...
"As for this matter, there really is nothing I can do to help." Tang Xiao shook his head. "Though I truly want to help you, the Confederacy of Independent Systems has its own rules. I cannot be the one to break them. In fact, merely raising the purchase price for your planet's ore has already made the Corporate Alliance and the Technological Alliance deeply unhappy. To put it bluntly, if I truly had to choose, I would choose them over Jabiim planet."
Alto Stratus nodded. He seemed somewhat dejected, yet perhaps the crushing pressure had simply become too much for him to bear. "I understand."
He turned and prepared to leave.
"I heard that the Jabiim planet Nimbus commandos require a great deal of money for equipment maintenance, is that right?" Tang Xiao suddenly called after him.
Alto's shoulders jolted. He turned back and said, "That's right. And now that Jabiim planet is no longer on the front lines of the war, I intend to disband them for the time being. After all, our planet's finances cannot support such an elite force."
He put heavy emphasis on the word "elite." Clearly, he still harbored deep unwillingness, along with