Chapter Four: First Battle at Starsea

"Excellent," the man said. "Truly excellent." Ardent turned, her eyes cooling at once. "Director Varro. Does the Armaments Bureau now supervise freshman training?" Varro smiled. "Admiral, this was not ordinary freshman training. That frame's materials, energy structure, and neural interface may rewrite the history of Federation warfare. I merely came to see whether it deserves our investment." "Investment?" Ardent said. "You mean chains." Varro did not deny it. In the arena, Astra-X turned toward the hangar. As it passed the stands where Mira sat, Leon glanced up for a brief second. Mira met his eyes, then looked down and wrote one line on her terminal: