Both Max and the Hunter mothership received an update from Nico at the same time, detailing the way that the negotiations had broken down and the demand of the planetary governor and his cabinet.

They had already dealt with the Klem fleet, leaving none of them alive to return and give the insects an updated set of battle data for dealing with the Mecha armies, so they couldn’t just let the Klem deal with the issue, and the Narsians were in full retreat, fleeing the planet as fast as they had arrived.

[Nico, I don’t think we made contact with the Planetary Governor. That was obviously an imposter. Why don’t you deal with them and see if you can find the completely reasonable real Governor?] Max ordered.

“That’s a strange way to say that you want her to kill everyone.” Huntress Khan told Max over a video link.

“If I don’t directly tell her to kill the planetary leadership, it would be a tragic accident if he turned out to be the real one. Certainly, the Alliance can’t get upset at us for the casualties incurred during a battle against hostile aliens. Besides, she had probably already killed them all for insulting her and scratching her Mecha before she even contacted us.” Max replied.

“I see. You and your little friend have a lot in common. You just view her first resort as your last resort. Is that what the humans mean by a Partner should bring balance to your relationship?” The Huntress asked.

“Probably not, but I suppose in a way it is, though.”

The Huntress laughed and called all her troops up to the ship. If the locals weren’t willing to make a proper deal, they could only be two things. Enemies or Prey. Until that was decided, they wouldn’t get any more help from the Hunters.

Back down on the surface, Nico was cleaning blood off of her hand with the tablecloth in the pavilion while looking down at the negotiator cowering in the corner.

“Now, where were we? Ah yes. I have determined that the signal you were receiving wasn’t coming from the real Planetary Governor.

All five of our Cutters were sent to the location of their safety bunker and have confirmed that there is currently nothing but a pool of molten rock at that location. They must have suffered a tragic accident in the later stages of the battle.

Now, might you be able to tell me if there might be a backup chain of command here on the planet? Or should we come back later after things have settled down a little bit and see if the real leader is more reasonable?”

“What exactly are you? That’s not human.” The man stammered, looking around at the bits of mangled limbs and pools of gore spread around the area.

“I thought you already knew I was a Cyborg? I have a human brain in here, but the body is entirely cybernetic. Don’t you have that technology as well? I am sure I saw cybernetics on some of the soldiers’ bodies.” She asked.

He nodded slowly, gathered himself together, and got to his feet.

“Will I be executed as well?”

“I don’t see any reason for that. The others didn’t need to die either. They just needed to be smarter. The automated system only targeted those who were actively hostile, so if they had simply chosen not to fire on Shattered Pride or me, they would have been ignored.”

Nico herself hadn’t fired a single shot. Once the battle began, the automated scripts she had programmed into her Mecha had activated and killed everyone except the Negotiator, who had wisely hidden under the table.

“Seriously? Was that an automated response? Never mind, I will try to contact someone, anyone, and make sense of what is going on. The Planetary Governor has always been drunk with power but demanding a harem as part of negotiations doesn’t seem like him.”

Try as he might, the Negotiator couldn’t raise anyone in the upper levels of Command, so he tried the ones in the bunker below him.

Protocols were followed, the deaths of the senior officials were verified, and a final decision was made about the chain of command.

“The most senior person on the planet who can be verified to be alive is Lady De Leon. She is in the bunker below us right now, and I have requested her presence here for the negotiations.”

Lady De Leon turned out to be a young woman in an army Corporal’s uniform with a radio operator’s badge on her arm.

“Lead Negotiator Ponce, how might I help you?” She asked from the elevator to the bunker, unwilling to step out into the body-littered field.

“Lady De Leon, we have confirmed the deaths of all of your uncles, cousins, and brothers, as well as your older Sister, during the battle. You are the senior member of the Planetary Governor’s family currently alive. What are your orders?” He asked.

Nico began chucking bodies out the back side of the pavilion and then turned on the Materials Printer and Replicator, creating a new table, a rug to cover the floor, and a feast to cover the replacement for the tablecloth she had cleaned the splattered blood from the guards off herself with.

“Lady Governor, please come with me and out of this mess. I can brief you on what the Reavers’ Trade Group can currently offer your planet, and you can deal with the planetary politics part either with our help or on your own later.” Nico informed her.

The radio operator was too shocked to say no, and let Nico lead her to the table and push her down into a seat beside the Negotiator.

“Now, let me start this again. I am Tarith Rage of the Terminus Trading Company, representing the Reavers and the Trade Group they are forming. These are the standard terms of the membership we are willing to offer your planet. This time I will be extra clear: We do not traffic in humans, nor do we condone slavery in any form.”

The girl gave her a shy smile and looked over the trade terms.

“Could we perhaps ask for some additional terms? After the battle, we will need help rebuilding, as well as some additional security forces, until such time as a new, loyal Planetary Force can be established. The armies are loyal to the Governor’s family, but it has been a Patrilineal Succession for our entire history, and I am not currently married.”

“I suppose that is possible. Who would be the ranking male officer on the planet right now? If they are on your side, it should help you establish your right to Govern.”

Lady De Leon looked over at Negotiator Ponce with a flush to her cheeks, and Nico smiled inwardly. What an excellent development.