"I'm not against attacking and occupying this planet, but if we are going to do something, let's do it big," he said, while pointing towards that central planet before adding, "let's conquer and rule this planet, and the other ten will fall in our hands without breaking a sweat."

The three people in the deck looked at James in a shocked way. They thought he might ask to wait for a bit, as their info was lacking, but he was bold enough to go even beyond the already risky plan they had.

"But our power now can't overcome that planet, nevertheless defending it," Rigo said, expressing his doubts, which were everyone's as well.

"What is the other fleet force like?" James asked, without showing any sign of returning over his decision. He wasn't acting suicidal, but the lesson he learnt from Dora's accident made him quite clear on what he should do next.

It wasn't Dora's fault entirely, as despite all things he did to her he was just a mere refugee, with a meager power that couldn't even take a single large cruiser!

He needed to be powerful, grow his own strength beyond his current limits. And to do so he had to be bold, greatly challenging the odds and taking the toughest road out there.

He made up his mind; from now on there would be no shortcuts at all! All he needed to do was to seize any chance, no matter how impossible it seemed, and move forward; always moving forward, that would be his motto!

"One large cruiser, twenty middle sized cruisers, plus two hundred small cruisers. That is the main fleet standing on guard of that planet," Rigo said, expressing the numbers he had from the old data.

"So, we are dealing with a space fleet mainly, no ground troops?" James asked, as if these numbers didn't scare him. He had a strategy in mind, as if he couldn't beat the behemoth hord, then he should better scatter them and hunt them down one by one; hitting them where it really hurt.

"No, only space fleet," Rigo said.

"It's simple then," James said, as he was smiling comfortably. Rigo scanned him, feeling he was ill or something, but he found him healthy and very fine.

"How can we beat this massive fleet? Even if we have Dora's fleet, the odds aren't in our favor," Islinda said, expressing her doubts towards the plan she guessed, the one she thought James was considering.

"No, you misunderstood me again," James said, before returning to his seat as he tried to explain things to them:

"I know you are thinking rationally about this, numbers versus numbers, but you have to know that the fleet of the black merchants are all formed by mercenaries. They never trained together, they don't even know each other.

So, comparing them to us, a well trained and veteran army, can't be done in traditional ways."

He was speaking out of his personal experience in dealing with such black merchants and mercenaries back at the base. He knew their mindset, how they trained and even he witnessed their internal quarrels or fights with other soldiers when they did something foolish.

They always lost! They weren't organized, nor united as their large numbers and different forces would mistakenly delude others. He knew them and knew their numbers only work against their interest, only if things were planned out well and these plans were executed precisely and with great skills.

"But the numbers are still worlds apart!" Islinda wasn't convinced by his reply.

"I know, and here comes your second mistake. Black merchant fleet isn't situated and assembled like any regular army in one place. they are all scattered inside the planet, or any other planet. They only regroup when there is an emergency for that.

Besides, they are mercenaries, so if there is an opportunity, a rare chance for wealth, they wouldn't hesitate to go after it, even if that meant breaking the contract and losing the job, as long as the gains exceeded the losses," James added, while explaining his concept.

He knew deep down his soul he couldn't convince them with his logic, and he simply could use the order to make them follow his command; but he wanted them to believe in his call, see what he was seeing even if a glimpse of it.

This would make a huge difference in the upcoming battle, and the battles that would erupt after.

"Meaning that?" Rigo asked, as he, or anyone here, understood what James meant.

"Meaning that, if we sent one small cruiser, disguised as clients wanting to buy things, and spread the word about some treasure place in planets just outside the control of the black market, then those loose mercenaries will chase after these news and try to claim the treasures to themselves," James explained further his plan.

"So, you want us to lure them away, then attack and snatch the base?" Islinda asked, not totally convinced by this plan.

"No," James shook his head again, "I mean if we lured them to places were we set our traps there, then we can kill them down one by one, group by group, until there are none left, then we can attack the planet and control it completely," he added, saying the full details of his plan.

"Interesting," Rigo said, before he looked at the map. James knew what he was doing, as he was now selecting places to be used as traps. "Here, here, here, and here," he pointed to four places, where they were near from the planets, plus having an asteroid field all around. This asteroid field would act as a limitation to any movement and scanning devices might be used.

So, they could act freely here, and in turn they could kill and run without the fear of being spotted.

"Good choices," Islinda commended, as these spots were the best here, "who would go to act as a rumor spreading?" she asked.

"Either me, you or Alex," James said, as he added, "we are the only normal humans here. any other droid will attract attention, and it will be enough for those mercenaries to leave anything and snatch them for a huge amount of money."

"It's dangerous for you to be there," Rigo said, refusing the option of sending James there.

"I can go," Islinda volunteered, as she wanted to see things first by herself, then might draw a better plan for the future. She just hoped these planets would be so good to be used as future bridges to start going to her grand sector.

"I can't send you alone," James said, as he refused to send a single girl, with such an elegance and royal learning, to deal with a group of thugs. "Alex, you will go and handle things there," he added, as this was the only option left to them. He couldn't go, as it was risky as Rigo feared, and so Alex was the one left.

"Me?" Alex said, in a surprise tone, before he laughed, like an idiot. He was enjoying the sense of importance, but Islinda hurried to whisper to James:

"He isn't trusted, might ruin everything."

James agreed, silently, with her, so he added, "and Islinda will go to help you there."

"Me and this beauty alone in the cruiser?" Alex, with his disbelieving reaction, said, expressing the inner thoughts of his, without prior thinking.

James just sighed, as if there was someone to be afraid of, this person would be Alex, not Islinda. Rigo then started a long, and detailed discussion with the two of them, while James kept himself away, sleeping for a while, as he was trusting his men would do it good.

After four hours of discussion, they awakened James again, and reviewed the plan with him. James didn't have any objection to the plan steps they arranged, as they would first start with a search mission, looking for those mercenaries positions, then try to send info, secretly, to them separately.

All this would be done with the coordination of the main fleet here, as they would go from trap to trap and attack the mercenaries one by one. That would take longer than separating the main fleet into two or three smaller ones, but that would endanger everything if one big fish caught the bait, or more than a fish came at the same time.

As things settled, James gave the signal for them to start. Islinda took the simple minded Alex and went into the only small cruiser here ready to be mistaken as one of the regular customers of the black merchants, the one James had taken by force when he escaped from his planet, the one they were at currently.

So, it was James and Rigo and the other droids turn to leave, while leaving behind three droids, to act at time of need, at the engine department.

Once ready, Islinda took the cruiser and went ahead towards the reign of these eleven planets, as everything, all the future, depended entirely on this single mission.