"Lady Ishar, it is a pleasure to see you again."
The Black Steward on the video feed still wore his black robes. His surroundings were mysterious and dim, perfectly matching the style of a shadowy organization.
"Mr. Black Steward, your side brazenly tore up our peace agreement and launched a surprise attack on our fleet. I hardly think this meeting is cause for celebration."
The moment Ishar spoke, she pinned the blame for starting the war on him. That would help her secure favorable terms in the negotiations.
"Heh! Lady Ishar, that is a blatant distortion of the facts. Our previous agreement required your side to cease all military operations on Kara Star, but clearly, you did not honor that agreement!"
After Nie Yun, disguised as the Black Steward, finished speaking, the image shifted to footage of Alpha Team's leader escaping.
"Your special operations personnel invaded Kara Star carrying weapons of mass destruction and infiltrated the secret production facility for the Water of Life. They nearly destroyed a precious Cosmic Wonder. This posed a grave threat to our fundamental interests on Kara Star!
"We had no choice but to launch a military operation to ensure that the Water of Life remained in our hands. So we were not the ones who broke the agreement!" Nie Yun declared solemnly.
Ishar's expression darkened.
Their attack had more or less coincided with Alpha Team's infiltration, but anyone with eyes could tell that such a meticulously planned operation, with every stage linked to the next, could never have been launched on the spur of the moment.
They had clearly planned this well in advance. All that talk of having no choice was a barefaced load of nonsense!
Still, neither side had any right to criticize the other. Alpha Team's reconnaissance had been intended to