"You conquered an asteroid belt, rescued twelve thousand people, and secured a priceless mining network before lunchtime," Yena laughed softly, slipping her gloved hand comfortably into his as they stepped back through the threshold of the spatial rift, leaving the metallic confines of Station K-9 behind for the sunlit, flower-scented breezes of the central caldera. "I am honestly starting to feel sorry for the remaining Syndicate warlords, Kai. By the time they finish drafting their declaration of war, you will have already bought their planets and renovated their castles."
"I have no desire to renovate castles that were built upon the suffering of others, Yena, but I will gladly repurpose their stone to build homes for my people," Kai replied smoothly, allowing the shimmering blue rift of his gateway to seal shut behind them with a crisp, crystalline chime that echoed across the newly paved obsidian roads.
