Explain! Trent Perhaps the most surprising thing wasn’t that the Lunnoners accepted our offer. It was that we’d made it at all. The Merrikan soldiers watched on with unconcealed looks of incredulity. Irdina and what was left of her Masked remained impassive. And Beck and his Cardinals simply accepted the order as soon as they knew it had come from Lena herself. Alan raised an eyebrow, but he didn’t question my decision. He knew me too well. I didn’t particularly think having the Lunnoners along was a good idea. Fuck, I knew it wasn’t. But this was Lena. This was my Lena. And, damn it all, I was determined she’d get the support she desperately needed. And she’d get it from me before anyone else. But once a rebel leader, always a rebel leader. I knew giving her this would make it easier to get what I wanted. And what I wanted was an edge on a more powerful opponent. Urip was too strong, too populous, too advanced to combat with rebel-like warfare.
