Blake turned to the newcomer, a woman whose beauty would have taken the breath of any man, but not Aaron. He had lost his taste for women a long time ago. There had been no other, and no better woman than Betty ...

The woman looked at him with a goofy grin plastered on her face and an outstretched hand. Even though Aaron was still angry he would have to do the ceremony all over again, he could not ignore a gesture like that. He shook hands with the woman, trying hard not to break any bone, and answered, making another effort not to sound rude.

"Yes, there is a problem, ma’am. I just arrived here and I found out that my team's Executive Officer is a woman! No offense, ma’am, but women cannot lead! It is a scientific fact. I was hoping to meet with the Commanding Officer of the Black Wolves and maybe he could explain to me what's going on. Anyway, I'm also here to see the General Verturum, like everyone else. So I don’t want any problems, at least not for now. "

And not without Betty, Blake thought. If he had the flamethrower equipped, this conversation would be a lot different.

Trying to sound friendly was a very complex communication exercise for Blake. Damn, he used to talk that much in one week! That didn’t mean Aaron wasn’t smart. Blake had a lethal intelligence, but a slight... Issue with words and social relations in general. Blake only liked two kinds of people: Those who respected him ... And those who burned.