Although Captain Nais had returned to his old trade within his own pirate band, Xi Yan had not forgotten his earlier idea.
He wanted to assemble a pirate-style fleet specializing in the boarding actions pirates excelled at.
That called for a pirate leader with sophisticated experience to command the fleet, so Xi Yan had asked Captain Nais to keep an eye out for suitable talent.
Sure enough, Captain Nais was a Pirate Queen with a discerning eye, able to recognize not only the treasures he plundered but also outstanding talent.
He easily found a promising fellow and sent him to the Interstellar Recruitment Office in the Amaterro System.
When Xi Yan arrived, the pirate captain, whose face was covered in scales, sat upright in a chair, his eyes shining with azure light. He had no nose, and his lips were permanently upturned, as though he were smiling at Xi Yan.
He looked strange, but not repulsive. He had no superfluous or bizarre limbs, and-he seemed to be smiling all the time.
A facial recognition scan confirmed that the individual was Lisatho Singh, a pirate wanted by several nations.
He smiled slyly and nodded politely.
"Hello, I'm Captain Lisatho. I came to discuss a partnership."
Captain Lisatho took out a tablet displaying his past exploits: plundering merchant ships from various nations, commanding and winning numerous space battles...
"I command three ships and a motley band of outcasts. Until now, we've served... ourselves. In other words, times have changed, and we're ready to join a greater cause."
"If you pardon our so-called crimes and give me and my crew a new home, we'll serve you. What do you think? Shall we sign a contract?"
"Have you ever robbed any merchant ships from our Empire?" Xi Yan asked him.
Embarrassment appeared on Captain