Strictly speaking, this could only be called a truism, Yu Lian thought. Still, because Feifei had said it, he felt at least a little comforted.
"I know, it's what you'd call a truism. But this is all I can do to comfort you right now."
"Uh..."
"If you want to know whether it made a difference... Well, are you feeling any better now?" Feifei smiled seductively, even tracing a finger across Yu Lian's chest.
Yu Lian wasn't sure whether he felt better, but it was obvious he was feeling warmer. Still, since they were discussing work aboard a ship, he really ought to get his thoughts in order first.
"Okay, I'm mentally prepared. No matter how shocking things get from here on out, I won't be surprised. But we still need a contingency plan."
"Any leads?"
"It's too early to say."
Yu Lian reached out and pulled Feifei a little closer. "I do remember that the people who brought back those two Main God-class ships weren't just our own receiving team. There were volunteers from the Alliance too, right? Quite a lot of them?"
"But the Alliance doesn't have any volunteers left," Feifei said, shaking her head.
"...None left?" Yu Lian asked.
"None. The Alliance Congress has passed a policy of strict neutrality in the war and halted all civilian volunteer aid. The Alliance has now recalled all its official military advisers. As for the civilian military personnel who entered the Commonwealth, they're all mercenaries."
"The old Skull Squadron were mercenaries too..."
"But they only received token pay from the Independent Joint Front back then. The rest of their compensation was transferred through a third party by the Rainbow Rose Foundation. Even so, it was still far below the market rate for top pilots."
"I see. Looks like I misjudged