[It's offensive, but only mildly. Nothing she hasn't heard before. Mercenary space traders was the usual accusation.]

No. We're military.

[It all came down to definitions, really. ]

If we were mercenaries, we'd be picking our battles. Instead, whenever a Tradeline-insured colony's in trouble, all the nearest starships come to its aid, even if it'd be more convenient to fly on and ignore it. That's our first duty. Before profit.