Emma seemed confused at Alexander's words that the Confederation was still hostile. They walked to a small room in the apartment to have a bit of privacy. "What are you saying?" asked Emma. "We just negotiated peace with them. You're even on the Confederation's defense council!"
Alexander said, "You know the truth just like I do. All of that's meaningless in the long run. Era is too vital a planet for them to willingly surrender it. All new players appear there, and we have incredible leverage over them.
"The Confederation will do anything to take it from us, and this peace is only subterfuge. They hope we'll lower our guard. Before, we had the military support of the Federation, but now that the Federation is gone... We can only rely only on ourselves."
Emma said impatiently, "Yes, yes, we know all that, but what about Regnier's troops? Not to mention the troops you picked up on Cronos I! The Federation might have fallen, but we still have a mighty military!"
