As his ship drifted through the void toward his next destination, he thought of the upcoming "hot zones" and the potential treasures hidden within them. He let out a long, inward sigh.
"Every time I feel like I've finally achieved something substantial, every time I think I can rest and be assured of our safety for a while, I get hit by the bitter reality that I haven't achieved anything at all," he muttered to the empty bridge. "The more I have, the more there is to lose."
He shook his head, trying to clear the encroaching fatigue. Olana sat in the co-pilot's chair, watching him in total silence. Internally, however, she was shaken to her core.
The sight of nearly a hundred worlds stepping forward to offer their total allegiance without Hye having to fire a single shot or weave a complex web of lies was something she had only ever encountered in the ancient myths of the universe.
