"Captain Chi, inform Chief Commander Reymon to prepare hunter squadrons alpha, beta, and gamma for battle. We will encounter enemies in 15 minutes."

"Yes, General Rostov."

I exhaled as I mentally prepared for the hopefully one-sided slaughter that will happen in fifteen minutes.

I just got informed thirty minutes ago that we could eavesdrop on the Galactic Empire's voice communication.

The intercepted information contained coordinates of a small cruiser. As the Intelligence Department read out the information we gathered, they concluded that the cruiser is on a spy mission. It should infiltrate our borders and build a spy center somewhere. The Intelligence Department was not able to decipher where exactly.

Two minutes after eavesdropping on them, we were able to come to this conclusion. As such, I immediately gave chase with my flagship. I could not bring more cruisers as we need to uphold the borders' defense if this spy ship is a decoy, trying to lure us away.

As we exited the hyperdrive, we could see the small cruiser in front of us whose rear is facing us.

"Full power into the board cannons. I want those engines down!"

I commanded in a slightly too happy voice while standing on the bridge.

Not five seconds later than I voiced my command, the enemy engines caught fire. They were not able to activate their shields in time.

I watched this whole action with a grin on my face and eager eyes. It sure feels great having such a bountiful present brought to my feet.

"Captain Chi, what are the results of our attack?"

"General, the engines are beyond repair, and they also had gotten some holes in the back before they were able to activate their shields. That ship will go nowhere."

"Great, even better than expected. Good job, everyone."

I said with a massive grin on my face. I will surely be rewarded handsomely for that by the Galactic Federation.

"Captain Han, start a holo communication with that cruiser. I will give them the chance to surrender. They will surely have valuable information."

"Yes, General Rostov."

After two minutes, the enemy General allowed the holo communication to come through.

"Greetings General, my name is General Rostov. Who do I owe the pleasure?"

"Greetings, General Rostov; my name is General Aquila. And whether or not it's a pleasure depends on the perspective."

"That is for sure. I sure didn't expect to catch such a celebrity as yourself here—what a pleasant surprise. I have heard a lot about you. Your leadership skills are widely known." - I said, laughing.

General Aquila is famous for being the youngest of the top ten generals of the Galactic Empire and her ability to motivate her soldiers to the maximum. Her long black hair paired with her lean figure, striking blue eyes, and considerable height, as well as great fashion sense, make her a sight to behold. Not that that was relevant in any way.

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"General Rostov, you are also not a blank slate. Your quick and effective methods are widely known."

Even in her situation, she smiled. Generally, she doesn't seem to be nervous about the situation she finds herself in.

I flashed a huge smile back.

"As we are over with the introductions now, we can get to business.

General Aquila, your ship will not go anywhere and, it is only a matter of time before all of you will die if you do not get evacuated fast."

I made a break to let it suck in and continued;

"When you surrender now, I guarantee the safety for you and your troops, as long as they cooperate."

"That sure sounds enticing, General Rostov. I will gladly accept your offer. I hope you honor your word that nothing shall befall my companions or me."

"General Aquila, you have made the right decision. Take your shields down. We will send transporters to ship you over here. Should there be the slightest amount of resistance, we will shoot your ship into oblivion."

"I understand, General Rostov."

After the holo communication ended, the enemy ship turned off its shield.

"Commander Tarkov, take one troop transporter and four men with you, fly into their hangar, and take as many high-ranked members of them as you can. If you do not make it back in ten minutes, we will destroy their whole ship. Best of luck to you, comrade."

"Thank you, General."

Three minutes later, Commander Tarkov is landing with four brothers in arms into the enemy hangar.

-POV Commander Tarkov-

I looked at my good brothers in arms and made my peace. This could likely be my last seconds alive. General Rostov sure does not like me much, so I expected to be sent. I mean, marrying the General's first ex-wife probably was not the smartest choice in terms of career advancement and longevity. I speculated that he does not care that much. I mean, he was married two times more after his first wife. You should not care about the lover of your first wife anymore, right?

As our transporter doors opened, we could see thousands of men and some women standing there, disarmed.

A stone went from my heart. It seems like I will come to see the next day.

We stepped out of the transporter. Rifles raised high.

"General Aquila, please step forward."

A beautiful blond woman that perfectly fits the image of the famous General Aquila stepped forward.

"Everyone at the rank of Commander and above, please enter the transporter."

"Unarmed, of course," I added.

Two minutes later, we departed with no casualties and twelve prisoners.

"What's your name, Commander?"

General Aquila asked, hands bound on her back, like the rest of the prisoners.

"My name is Tarkov." - I stated with mild confusion in my voice. Why would a general care about the name of a lowly commander of the enemy?

"You sound confused, Commander Tarkov," - she said in a knowing voice.

"Could it be your General doesn't know your name, Commander?" She asked.

"Nah, he knows it very well", - I answered while slightly frowning.

"Oh, so you are on the bad side of the General." - she said in an amused tone.

"How did you know this?" - I asked in a higher voice than usual, surprise written over my face.

She chuckled at that.

"It's not hard to guess. You did get sent to us, after all. You probably already asked yourself why you got chosen for this mission. After all, the chances were high that you would die."

"Of course, I did. And I also know what brought me on his bad side. It is not like he is mistreating me. It is just that he would miss me the least."

"Oh, I am curious, what did you do to anger him?" - she asked, clearly interested.

'It can't hurt to tell her, can it?' I thought.

"I guess I can tell you. It is no secret, after all. I married his first ex-wife and blessed her with three wonderful children. He never had children with her even though they tried for three years, which was also ultimately the reason for their divorce. This started some pretty nasty rumors of him being not so potent."

I smiled at that.

She looked amused.

"Still, it is not fair to treat a Commander of your caliber like this."

She said with faked anger in her voice.

At that moment, I realized that I was being messed with.

"That is for sure", - I mumbled as the doors of the transporter opened.