As the Aegis was retrieved from the battlegrounds and the crew of the Nova have settled down, it is now Eleanor's time to be in distress as her biggest worry contacts her, HQ.

  "Eleanor Taylor! What is your bloody excuse this time?!"

  "Sir-"

  "Your unit is the best in the bloody NADUR, and you lost to the Eurasians who we thought were practically extinct by now! Do you know what trouble this gets me in?!"

  Immediately, Eleanor was gripping her fists in frustration.

  "Sir, we also lost a number of crew members during the fighting-"

  "No, Eleanor, no! I am providing aide to failing soldiers hundreds of kilometers away, I warned you of this!"

  "But sir, we are so close to our goal!"

  "I don't bloody care! I am supposed to head to vacation, and you just filled my to-do list with paperwork!", he said as he slammed his desk with his fists.

  Inside, her blood was practically boiling in anger.

  "Sir, you don't understand, our men need supplies to keep on going!"

  She was annoyed to have to plead but what choice did she have.

  "Do not give me your raised voice Wintrow! I am still your commanding officer!", he warned arrogantly.

  She couldn't believe how much General Winston had changed from an understanding man to a raging fire.

  On the other side, he was thinking if it was really worth it to abandon the unit.

  For a while, it was silence.

  After calming himself down, the General made a decision.

  "Taylor, get Amsterdam in 3 days or you are relieved of your duty and replaced!"

  Abruptly, Winston cut communications. But the problem did not disappear, Eleanor still needed a way to somehow get Amsterdam in 3 days, in a situation where they were already lacking supplies.

  In this very moment, she only kept going back to one thought, one ridiculous thought.

  "You want to what?"

  "You heard me right, we re-ally with the Eurasians."

  Shock spread through the room.

  "Oh, bloody no!"

  "You never learn do you, Ma'am?"

  "Captain, just what exactly happened to you?"

  Complained the other Executive Officers.

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  "Would you people rather us go back from partaking this mission or lose your bloody ego?"

  "You don't understand Captain, they are absolutely horrific to fight with!"

  "Exactly! He's right!", murmured the others.

  The problem was they were right and she had to convince them that this was better.

  "Then I have a proposal, we discuss this with the Eurasians and see if they can prove themselves."

  The room went silent; it indeed was sort of promising.

  "No way! Any more contact with the Eurasians is dangerous! We mustn't try to approach them at all!"

  Then suddenly, a crew member came in.

  "Calling the Captain, broadcast from the Zabytaya."

  The officers then hurried to the bridge to hear whatever the Eurasians had to say.

  "Captain Eleanor, nice to see you again."

  "Not the same here much. What is it, Captain Yelena?"

  "We need to take Amsterdam again."

  This shook the officers.

  "How can you be sure that we will be able to take it?", Eleanor replied.

  "My officers and I have decided that... we will follow your battle plan."

  Mixed emotions struck the officers.

  "How can you prove this?"

  "We are getting desperate Eleanor. HQ needs us to take Amsterdam or else... or else they'd abandon us."

  The officers looked at the screen with negative disbelief. How could a nation do that to their own men?

  "Captain, you cannot seriously be believing this.", said the Deputy Chief.

  "Let's hear them out, Will.", she whispered.

  You see, while Eurasia had been the strongest nation more than the NADUR, the life conditions inside were simply subpar to those of any other country.

  In fact, even rumors of the things inside the authoritarian nation fell short of the reality.

  When they said, "children wore old clothes daily", the reality was "children wore torn clothes daily".

  When they said, "workers only gained enough to live", the reality was "workers only gained enough to survive".

  When they said, "wives could only cook and clean", the reality was "wives had to cook and clean or they could be prosecuted".

  Eurasia was a powerhouse in military, not because it was prosperous, but because it was the perfect dictatorship.

  To speak freely was a luxury.

  To move freely was a luxury.

  To work without constant surveillance was impossible.

  The military was the worst part of the nation. It was the most powerful in the world due to discipline and numbers, but it was horrible to be in.

  You were conscripted into the military at 12 years old, trained 6 years, then sent to die in wars. Those who survived fought another war, those who died were forgotten.

  This was all when the European Challenge was still raging on. Countless sanctions that starved the East, countless proxy wars that took millions of lives.

  It is proof that strength doesn't equal prosperity.

  Meanwhile in the bridge, Eleanor looked back at the screen where Yelena was still waiting for a response.

  "Yelena, what is your mission?"

  This stunned Yelena, she never predicted Eleanor would ask this.

  To say the truth is to betray Eurasia, to lie is to be abandoned by Eurasia. She thought for a while, fidgeting her fingers.

  "We were ordered to take Amsterdam or die trying."

  Both Eurasian and NADUR officers were stunned.

  She had just revealed classified information for a slim chance of cooperation with the NADUR forces. She was a gambler.

  "Amsterdam holds key information about the Harbingers, that is why we were forced to take it so badly.", she added.

  Eleanor's officers murmured around saying, "There's no way a nation would do that!"

  The odds were not in Yelena's favor.

  "What do you have left?", asked Eleanor.

  One question brightened up Yelena, there was hope.

  "All we can offer is our spare parts for the Laniakea. Considering the similarity between the two vehicles, the Aegis must also be able to be repaired with them."

  This was promising, after all, Eleanor's unit was nothing without the Aegis.

  "I have a counteroffer, Yelena. Our forces must be constantly exchanging information and resources. Your forces must also cooperate with our forces. Lastly, we follow our battleplan."

  To take this offer would ensure the survival of Yelena's forces, though they may be treated as traitors against Eurasia.

  Neither side may have realized this by now, but everyone was hoping the treaty goes through. Both sides would benefit equally. Thus, everyone was on the edge of their seats awaiting Ribenstova's answer.

  With all of this, you may be able to imagine their reaction when she said this.

  "Eleanor, I accept your offer."