<div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Dark Star Dropship</strong><div class="floatright">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/e/ef/Damian_Harper.jpg)</div><br/><br/>Damian agreed with Allia that the arena fighters would take additional resources and funds just to make reliable. But, if they were careful with their selection, they would end up with more money left over than if they started hiring actual mercs. Sometimes, corners would need to be cut and risks taken. He was never a fan of quantity over quality, but right now, they couldn't afford quality. And if even one of those arena dropouts turned out to be a natural, they'd have made significant progress. If nothing else, they often had state-of-the-art machines that had been maintained rigorously.<br/>During the lovely lieutenant's pep-talk, though, Damian kept his peace. He didn't see the point of applying pressure to Kari by putting so much faith in her. He believed she could do it, he truly did. She was too much like her father to do anything but excel, but the clanner in him found such encouragements a waste of time and a means to make her conceited and complacent. Whatever the case, he gave the lieutenant a small nod as she left.<br/><br/>For a few moments, Damian leaned forward on his desk, elbows planting themselves firmly on the top, while his hands rubbed along his face. He was very clearly exhausted, but the moment his eyes fell on the paperwork that was still left to do on his desk, it was obvious he wasn't going to be stopping anytime soon. Palms on his desk, he released a slight sigh before turning his amber eyes to his new commander. <strong>"I have more work to do. Unless you have any other questions or concerns, I should back to it. Details are in the report,"</strong> he explained, motioning for the document on the desk in front of her.As always, he seemed perfectly willing to work himself into an early grave once he got obsessed. But it was also a coping mechanism, one that took him right back to the single greatest tragedy in his life.<br/><br/><hr/><br/><strong>Dark Star Dropship</strong><div class="floatright">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/b/ba/Emily_Jirani.jpg)</div><br/><br/>Emily wasn't hard to find. After having gotten her check-up, she had already packed up a lot of her gear and was in one of the locker rooms, clad in casual wear. She'd likely made plans to get off the ship at the earliest convenience. Allia would know the look on her face well. Emily was not an easy woman to get along with. She was headstrong, very confident and she had this nasty tendency of always being right. Even now, it really was the best choice for her to leave. But she and the company went back quite a way, and her abilities behind the controls of a 'Mech were considerable. She didn't notice Allia's approach at first, as she focused on stuffing what was in her locker into a duffelbag. With strikingly blue eyes and chocolate brown hair, she painted a lovely picture of a mature woman. Age was started to catch up to her, but she had definitely aged gracefully.</div>