I kick Labyrinth under the table when he doesn't answer quickly enough. The jerk still hesitates another long moment before intensifying his glare and speaking, "We trusted you once before and it didn't end well. How will this time be different?" His voice is clipped and the general's back stiffens subtly. King's council decided Labyrinth shouldn't roll over for the Federation and he should fight back enough to keep their suspicions down. I give him credit for not killing Smyth on the spot. The man is pure evil. The general scratches his chin and seemingly relaxes into his chair. The hard eyes give him away. "The Federation is no longer running scared. It took a little time for us to realize the mistakes of the past and we're ready to fix what happened. If we had standardized communicat