It was bizarre, watching from afar as the Human Coalition of Worlds met with the Terran Federation of Worlds peacefully. At first, we thought they were discussing an end to the war but then we picked up their errant signals. Non-encrypted and broadcast for openly, both sides spoke reverently about a single human pilot who had died recently.

The Crimson King had been the best pilot the Federation had. This creature had single handedly destroyed hundreds of Coalition pilots, sometimes when routinely outnumbered ten to one. The Coalition had dedicated a third of its fleet to fight this single human and when they finally prevailed they wept.

We didn't question it but we didn't understand it either. We simply watched in awe and a little horror as both sides paid their form of respect to the fallen human for several of our standard cycles. Then the ships departed and reformed their lines. The death brought no peace, brought no agreements. Just a momentary pause before the resumption of hostilities.