They never expected to face a woman like Kisha, unyielding and unmoved by their rank. They'd already lost too many good men on the journey here. To walk away with nothing would make it all for nothing.
"How about this," Kisha said with a faint, amused smile. "Why don't you step outside the safety of this base and gather your own supplies? Show us just how coordinated and capable your soldiers really are. Prove to us this 'greater good' you keep talking about is worth starving our people for."
She leaned forward slightly, her voice smooth but laced with steel. "Of course, my people will be going with you. They'll fight too. And we'll see who pulls their weight out there, yours or mine. If your soldiers can't even keep up, then don't expect us to hand anything over. We don't feed dead weight in this base."
