"Useless! You useless idiot! Why don't you just die!" An unrestrained roar thundered from the Communications Terminal, making Kloros's expression stiffen.
"To think I trusted you so much, gave you full command of this battle, and poured enormous funds into supporting your plan. And what did you bring me? Is this what you called a glorious victory?
"Am I paying you hundreds of millions a year just to keep a useless idiot like you?!" Kinlock's fat face was almost completely twisted with rage.
Over a thousand warships had been lost in a single battle. These weren't cheap secondhand vessels, either. Most belonged to the elite First Fleet, and they were brand-new, cutting-edge warships!
Including its garrison fleets, the Locke Conglomerate had only a little over twenty-five hundred warships in total. This had slashed its military strength almost in half.
Thinking of the enormous wealth he had lost, Kinlock felt a sudden, suffocating sensation, as though he were going into shock.
But that wasn't the worst of it. Worse still, once word got out...
Without military protection, the surrounding business environment would deteriorate rapidly. Never mind competitors kicking them while they were down-even the Shattered Star Pirates, who had previously left them in peace, would probably start getting ideas.
And if the news reached the capital markets... Kinlock could almost see the horrific sight of his conglomerate's market value plunging, the screens awash in green...
Although the Kinlock family held a controlling stake in the Locke Conglomerate, quite a few powerful figures also owned shares.
The Empire's second prince, for instance, was the Locke Conglomerate's second-largest shareholder. It was precisely this connection that had allowed Kinlock to obtain the "Vassal Species Hiring Rights" and the "Wormhole Development Concession."
But clearly, this investment of his had been an utter failure...
If this