Nathan had heard a lot about the man his commander was friends with.
The commander rarely spoke unless it was about work, yet whenever this man came up, she could never quite end the conversation.
She always spoke a little more than usual when the topic was him, and that was what first caught Nathan's attention.
Someone earning the commander's recognition was no ordinary matter.
And when Nathan examined the tool the man had sent over, he realized that her appreciation was well deserved.
Nathan had been trying to replicate the same artifact for the past few weeks.
He had the materials and understood the concept, yet he could not achieve the same efficiency.
His version consumed more and produced less.
What a single artifact from Adrian could accomplish required five of Nathan's to achieve the same effect. That disparity frustrated him, but it also filled him with admiration for the original creator.
