Bennett McAdam was the fifth Commander-in-Chief of the Balchik Warlord Alliance. After his father passed away, the young Bennett took charge of the Balchik Warlord Alliance, one of the Six Giants of the Star Sea.
Yet his father seemed to have sheltered him too well. Having inherited his father's power and responsibilities, Bennett found himself facing a Balchik riddled with factions constantly undermining one another.
It was then that Bennett understood why Balchik was called the Warlord Alliance. Throughout the star sectors under its control, warlords large and small ruled their own territories, though they all nominally answered to him as Commander-in-Chief.
But when Bennett attempted internal reforms, he discovered that these warlords usually paid lip service to his orders while defying them in practice.
After a great deal of careful thought, Bennett decided he wanted to see the world outside. Eventually, at the Vax Corporation, he met an extraordinary man.
The man's views and ideas surprised Bennett.
Bennett eventually returned to Balchik and shared his ideas with his teacher, Fabian, who was also his adjutant.
After hearing about his experiences and ideas, his teacher gave Bennett one piece of good news and one piece of bad news. The bad news was that the man he had met might have been deliberately sent by the Vax Corporation to approach him. They had intentionally steered him toward making this change.
The good news was that the man's proposed method was indeed effective. Balchik's entrenched flaws could never be eradicated through internal reforms alone. External pressure was needed.
Having explained all this, Fabian continued.
"This is an open stratagem. The choice is yours, Commander-in-Chief."
Bennett did not answer his teacher immediately. Instead, he said,
"I need some time alone to think this through."
A few days later, Bennett sought out Fabian again