"...You're hiring slaves from that Syndicate?!"
"....." Althera held Robin's gaze for several long seconds, her expression unreadable, then slowly nodded. "We do what we must in order to survive. Nothing more, nothing less."
"Sons of bitches..." Robin turned his face away, a thin, conflicted smile forming at the corner of his lips. "I honestly don't know whether I should curse them to hell… or stand up and applaud their efficiency."
"I understand how horrific their reputation is, and I don't deny any of it," Althera said gravely. "But they, too, do not want to exist in a universe ruled entirely by the Plague. For that reason alone, our paths intersect, and we cooperate to eradicate that scourge." She paused briefly. "...I know exactly how this looks from the academies' perspective. Still, there are filthy, repulsive tasks that must be carried out as long as the rulers of this universe refuse to risk their own armies, resources, and stability."
