This strange exchange did not last very long, but the impact it had on Salamander was unprecedented.
After completing its mission, the bizarre unmanned machine slowly turned transparent before the giant's eyes. Its energy signature then left the defense platform and plunged straight toward the battlefield. A few minutes later, a tiny flash of fire lit up in that direction. It had apparently self-destructed.
A small metal box only ten centimeters square remained where it had been. Salamander carefully pinched up the "little toy," which was roughly the size of a grain of gravel in his eyes, between two fingers. He saw it project a few words: "This is our communicator—but it may be a little small for you. Don't worry about the details. Just make do with it."
Salamander expressionlessly put the little toy away. The First Officer beside him could not help asking, "Legion Commander, do you intend to believe this stranger's words?"
"The Guardian Legion will cooperate with that unmanned drone legion during its next operation," Salamander said gravely. "We'll engage the Corruptors on the main battlefield."
"But those drones come from an unfamiliar force." The young First Officer frowned. "'Observers'? I've never heard of such a civilization or organization in the universe. The images we saw did show them fighting the Corruptors, but those images might not be real. Even the fragments of Nakdal could be counterfeit—perhaps something they pieced together from elsewhere."
Another Guardian Giant muttered, "But the fairies are with them. I know that long-haired little one..."
"That is evidence, but it isn't sufficient," the young First Officer emphasized.
Salamander raised a hand, cutting off his subordinates' argument. "There are two things you're overlooking.
"First, I never said I trusted this unfamiliar force that appeared out of nowhere. We're simply supposed to engage the