"Cough, cough. She's a Dwarf. She's not underage; she's older than us. However, Dwarves seem to be inherently more childish in their mental age, and coupled with their small and delicate appearance, they look like children," Zachary Chase explained.
Serena Frost carefully observed the 'little girl' in front of her; her ears were slightly pointed, and her head was slightly large in proportion to her body. It indeed matched the description of Dwarves, an interstellar race, in textbooks.
"Commander… sir…!" Annie only then noticed Zachary beside her and immediately saluted him. She first tried the Little Dragon Fleet female crew members' way of placing a hand on her chest. But it didn't feel quite right, so she bowed to Zachary instead. Her flustered appearance made Zachary find her very cute.
"You can't see? Let me help you." Zachary placed his hands under Annie's arms and easily lifted the little Dwarf.
Annie's cheeks flushed slightly as she repeatedly said, "No… no need… Annie… Annie… can order when there are fewer people…"
"You've already seen it, so just order quickly," Zachary said with a smile.
Annie looked at the holographic projection of today's menu on the counter and hurriedly ordered a braised chicken set meal. Only then did Zachary put the little Dwarf down.
"Th-thank… thank you… Commander… sir…" Annie kept bowing in thanks, her head bobbing like a rattle-drum. Annie only left after Zachary told her to find a seat and wait for her meal; otherwise, her head would probably have shaken off.
Annie found a seat in the furthest corner, then skillfully adjusted the seat height to its lowest, sat down, and then raised the seat height to a suitable level for the dining table. She began swinging her short legs, waiting for the happiest moment of her day.
Serena and Zachary stared at the little one for a while before coming back to their senses, exchanging a knowing glance.
"How did you find this Dwarf? I saw the marks on her neck," Serena inquired.
"I bought her on the commodity trading network in the Northern Third Star System previously; it was that woman who escaped who kidnapped and sold her from a planet. I bought her," Zachary said.
Serena looked at Zachary, then at the abundant daily menu: "Why do you set such a high standard for meals? Even if you procure these natural ingredients in large quantities at a low price and process them yourself, the consumables alone for the personnel on just this one Aircraft Carrier Starship exceed a thousand star coins per month! It's already far beyond the meal standards of 99% of starships!"
Zachary shrugged, saying casually, "I'm just giving my crew members better living conditions, so they can fight for me with more dedication."
Serena looked surprised; he really didn't care about this kind of expenditure. His way of thinking was truly out of place in this era.
"Have you ordered? Then let's go over there to wait for our meal," Zachary invited Serena to a dining table to wait for their meal.
"What are your plans after graduating from the North Starship Military Academy? Joining the Imperial Army?" Zachary chatted.
Most talents cultivated by Starship Military Academies, about 80%, join the Imperial Army to gain experience, and after retirement, they join various local Lord Fleets. They are basically in a social class where they don't have to worry about food or clothing, but whether they become rich and noble depends on their fate.
"I will never join the Imperial Army," Serena said.
Zachary was a little surprised but quickly thought of the reason: "Is it because of your parents?"
Serena remained silent.
"Are you willing to talk to me about your parents?" Zachary tentatively asked.
Serena remained silent.
Seeing this, Zachary didn't press: "Since you're unwilling to join the Imperial Army, have you considered joining my fleet?"
"Are you inviting me?" Serena looked at Zachary with some surprise.
Zachary spread his hands and said with a smile, "You've seen the strength of my fleet and the benefits of being in the fleet. As long as you're willing, you can start directly from positions such as vice captain, starship deputy officer, or secretary. Your original crew members on your starship, if qualified, can also join my fleet and enjoy the same treatment. Of course, limited to female crew members; don't ask why."
Serena chuckled and shook her head: "If you want to recruit them, you don't need to go through me; just tell them directly, and nine out of ten will go with you."
Saying this, Serena looked at the dining table where her female crew members were; the food had already been served. Each of them devoured their food without regard for their image, as if they hadn't eaten in decades.
"I value your worth," Zachary said, pointing at Serena.
Serena remained silent.
"I'll give you time to consider, but not too much time," Zachary said.
He valued Serena's talent, but if Serena was unwilling, Zachary wouldn't force her. After all, he would only stay at the North Starship Military Academy until the end of this year.
The food was served; Serena's was a plate of dumplings.
Serena picked up a dumpling, looking at the translucent item, her expression somewhat complex. She had heard her grandmother mention dumplings; her grandmother had eaten them once when she was little, just three dumplings. But that was a taste her grandmother would never forget in her life. She and her sister listened to their grandmother recount these stories at her grandmother's sickbed, and her sister swore she would make sure their grandmother and sister tasted that flavor again.
If she joined Zachary's Little Dragon Fleet, would her grandmother and sister be able to eat this delicious food?
Serena's heart wavered.
Serena chewed the dumpling in her mouth; the taste surged on her taste buds, and she had never eaten anything so delicious. Half a bowl of dumplings was unknowingly eaten; she looked up at the opposite side.
Zachary had left at some point; he was looking at his other female crew members, some savoring the taste of the food, others with red and swollen eyes, seemingly having cried.
Serena was thoughtful.
Zachary returned to the Bridge.
"Commander, sir, the battle report for this campaign has been compiled," Lilith stood beside Zachary.
"Speak," Zachary said.
"The T2 Bee Queen-class Heavy Carrier Starship consumed 93% of its ammunition and supplies, with 68% of its Interstellar Drones lost. The T2 Killer Bee-class Medium Interstellar Drones and T2 Bumblebee-class Heavy Interstellar Drones were all destroyed, leaving only the T2 Young Bee-class Light Interstellar Drones. Additionally, among the five T2 Black Rhino-class Interstellar Heavy Assault Frigates, one had severe hull armor damage and needed to return to port for repairs. The damage to the remaining four was within acceptable limits; even without repairs, returning should be no problem. They can be repaired on our T2 Iron Hammer-class Heavy Interstellar Industrial Ship, which will greatly reduce repair costs! There were no personnel fatalities, though a few were injured, but they have already been taken care of. And we eliminated one T3 Mechanical Clan starship and twenty-seven T2 Mechanical Clan starships," Lilith reported.
Zachary looked at these data, then at the Interstellar Transport Ship fleet he had escorted, a cold gleam flashing in his eyes: "This escort mission truly gave me a huge surprise; we need an explanation."
Lilith understood the commander's implied meaning: there was a problem with this mission.