Her Celestial Farm on the Scrapyard Planet (by Kay Lucas) novel Chapter 435

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Chapter 435 Smart Person

Chapter 435 Smart Person

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What made it even more inforating was that she’d delivered every word of it with a completely serene smile, leaving absolutely nothing to object to.

Deon was quiet for a few seconds. Then he stood.

“Glad to know you consider it an honor.” His voice stayed perfectly flat. “Shall we get started?”

Elizabeth rose as well, her smile holding steady. “Of course. After you, Colonel Barron

The two of them looked at each other across the table, and something wordless passed between their gazes.

One cold as iron. The other bright as sunlight.

Neither of them moved.

Dwayne jumped in to smooth things over. “Right, well, let’s get to it! Ms. Schofield, should I take my team over to start with the ship and facility review?”

“Please do.” Elizabeth nodded. “Tiffany, would you show Mr. McGee and his team around?”

Tiffany stood and led Dwayne’s group out of the conference room.

The room went quiet.

It was just Elizabeth and Deon now, along with their respective people.

Deon looked at her and said, out of nowhere, “You’re very young Ms. Schofield.”

Elizabeth blinked. “Thank you. You aren’t particularly old either.”

“I didn’t expect…” he paused, as if choosing his words carefully, “I didn’t expect the farm owner drawing this much attention to be such a young woman.”

Elizabeth smiled at that.

The smile was warm and sweet, but Deon had the persistent feeling that something else was tucked insidest.

“Colonel Barron,” she said, “there may be quite a few more things you didn’t expect.”

Deon looked at her and held his silence for a moment.

Then he gave a single nod.

“Then I’ll look forward to finding out.”

He turned and walked toward the door. He stopped just at the threshold, not looking back.

“The armed capability assessment starts this afternoon,” he said. “Have your people ready, Ms. Schofield.”

He pushed through the door and left.

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Chapter 435 Smart Person

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Ehzinth watched his retreating figure from behind, and the smile at the corner of her mouth slowly deepened.

She drifted to the window and looked down at the group in navy uniforms making their way toward the temporary rest area below.

Desmond came to stand beside her and said quietly, “Boss, this one’s here for trouble.”

“I know,” Elizabeth said.

“The afternoon assessment…”

“The afternoon assessment,” Elizabeth turned to look at Desmond, and the smile on her face carried something that only she fully understood, “you all just have fun out there.”

She paused, her gaze drifting to the ten ships in the distance.

“Hopefully they’ll have a good time too.”

At two in the afternoon, the sun was blazing overhead.

In the simulation exercise zone just outside the port, five of the farm’s ships had lifted off and arranged themselves into a defensive formation in the designated airspace.

Desmond commanded from the lead ship, with the remaining eight spread across the other four vessels, each at their post.

On the ground, Elizabeth stood in front of the monitoring screens inside the temporary command bay, with Tiffany and a few staff members behind her.

Dwayne had squeezed in beside her as well, his earlier cheer long gone and replaced by undisguised tension.

Deon stood at a separate screen, communicating with the two “Pirate ship” groups in the air.

“Group one in position,” came Rupert Beck’s voice through the comm. “Group two in position.”

Deon glanced at the five farm ships on his screen. “This is a drill,” he said, his voice flat and even. “Push them to their limit. No casualties.”

“Understood,” the voice answered.

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The comm cut out.

Deon turned to Elizabeth, his expression unchanged. “Ready to begin, Ms. Schofield?”

Elizabeth looked at him, and a small smile crossed her face. “I have a question, Colonel Barron.”

“Go ahead.”

“That last line of yours. Was that meant for everyone in the room, or specifically for your second–in–command?”

Deon raised an eyebrow.

“What do you mean by that?”

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Chapter 435 Smart Person

Elizabeth shook her head, still smiling. “Nothing. Just asking Let’s begin.

She turned back to the monitoring screens.

Deon looked at her for a moment, then said nothing more. He spoke into the comm. “Exercise begins.”

In the air, both Pirate ship group’s moved at once.

They were fast, sweeping in from opposite sides to box in the farm’s five ships from left and right.

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These were standard Fifth Military light assault craft. Small in size, but their maneuverability and firepower outclassed civilian ship modifications by a wide margin.

Desmond’s voice came through the comm. “Boss, they’re coming.”

“Understood,” Elizabeth replied. “Stay sharp.”–

The words had barely left her mouth before the first strike hit.

Two energy beams lanced out from the Pirate ships, aimed directly at the two ships on the outermost flanks of the formation.

Desmond was already moving, executing a sharp bank that barely carried him clear.

The second ship, piloted by Tobin, mirrored the evasion at the same instant.

But the Pirate ships were too fast.

The second wave came before the first had even fully passed.

This time it was four beams at once, cutting off nearly every line/of retreat.

“Watch it!” Desmond’s voice crackled through the channel. “Sevyn, I’ve got the one on your left!”

All five ships threaded through the gaps between the beams, moving like five swift, agile creatures slipping between the teeth of something enormous.

୮ Desmond and Tobin held the front and drew fire. Sevyn and Sebastian swept in from the flanks. Tyson and Melton anchored the

rear.

Nine people, five ships, carving a path through a wall of concentrated fire.

On the ground, Dwayne was gripping the edge of the console with sweaty hands.

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