After ending the call, Ishar looked utterly grim.
She drew a deep breath and looked at the officers, whose expressions varied.
"Submit the recording of that call to Congress. As for this matter... let Congress decide."
"...Yes, Commander!"
Weighed down by worry, none of them noticed how someone in the corner kept shifting between a frown and a thoughtful expression...
Barring any surprises, Twin Stars would most likely back down this time.
Was he supposed to just watch someone else snatch away the prize he had his eye on?
No! Things probably weren't that bad yet.
A setback could turn out to be a blessing. If they could use threats, why couldn't he offer incentives?
Perhaps, instead of ruining his plans, they had actually served his prize up on a platter and done him a huge favor...
As thoughts raced through his mind, his gloomy expression gradually brightened, and his eyes shone more and more.
"Huh? Lord Alsace, were you smiling just now?"
"Uh... sorry, I lost my composure. It just struck me that our great Gemini Civilization was being blackmailed like this. For a moment, indignation and sorrow overwhelmed me."
"But why were you..."
"Haven't you heard? Crying with a smile... hurts the most!"
Reynolds: "..."
An hour later.
The Twin Stars Congress.
"No wonder they mobilized everything they had to launch a second attack so soon. Apparently, this 'Vector Engine' is extraordinarily tempting to them."
"Damn it! If we'd known, we should never have deployed 'Reaper'!"
"Exactly. Some of our scientists warned us long ago that creations of advanced civilizations could draw unwanted attention from our enemies, and that we should avoid revealing them. What are we supposed to do now?"
"Hmph! Avoid revealing it? Given the situation back then, if we hadn't prepared 'Reaper' in advance