"...What could Robin possibly offer me that he hasn't already given?" Hedrick asked, his tone a mix of surprise, disbelief, and a faint edge of skepticism.
The Shadow Swords had already done the unimaginable. They had forced several of his enemies to retreat under relentless pressure, brought him multiple allies at critical moments, and provided the interstellar communication network that had completely shifted the balance during the drawn-out attrition war. Somehow, through feats that seemed impossible, they had infiltrated enemy ships from the inside and detonated them, collapsing them into twisted wreckage. And that was before considering the enormous quantities of talismans, weapons, and advanced arrays they had supplied him with.
In truth, the Shadow Swords had carried nearly half the burden of the war on their shoulders alone, and they had done so without even a hint of doubt or hesitation. Their efforts had been nothing short of heroic, beyond measure.
