Aboard the Swick Fleet, Fleet Commander Hayden wore a dark expression, while beside him, the level-seventeen ability warrior Andre frowned deeply.
"Andre, Brady clearly has no good intentions. No wonder he was willing to offer up twenty percent of the Dead Star Region's mining rights. Hmph, he wants all us level-four civilizations to serve as his cannon fodder and hired thugs!"
Andre sighed. "My lord, high returns mean high risks. I thought you had already come to terms with that before..."
Hayden fell silent for three seconds. "I did come to terms with it long ago. It's just that now that they've openly shoved us to the front as gun barrels, I can't help feeling resentful. Heh, Andre, from the sound of it, you seem to have taken that principle quite well..."
Andre shrugged and stared expressionlessly at the radar display beside him. "The strength of the Zerg upper echelon is well known. Dragon Knight Teresi was utterly unable to fight back before them. Even ace instructor Cibule and Frost Hand Prescott suffered crushing defeats. I accepted your commission to protect the lives of the important officers in the command room in exchange for the Crown of Cartilage, just as you accepted Dead Star mining rights in exchange for helping Alvin deal with the Zerg. It is fundamentally the same principle."
Hayden spoke in a low voice. "If we win this war, you won't have to fight the Zerg. That counts as fairly good news, doesn't it...?"
"Win? Where does your confidence come from?"
A lazy voice suddenly drifted in from the command room entrance.
Hayden and Andre abruptly turned their heads. The dozen or so officers and operators in the command room immediately drew the sidearms at their waists in alarm.
Yet there was no one within their line